The word 激素 is formed by combining two characters: 激, meaning "to excite" or "to stimulate", and 素, meaning "basic element" or "substance". The term is a direct conceptual translation of the Western scientific term "hormone", which comes from the Greek word for "to set in motion". Thus, the Chinese term creatively constructs the meaning of "a fundamental substance that excites or stimulates", perfectly capturing the core function of these chemical messengers in the body without being a phonetic borrowing.