the.com/cortisol

means A steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands that spikes in response to stress, raising blood sugar and sharpening alertness at the cost of digestion, immunity, and sleep.

from Named by chemists in the mid-20th century who isolated it from the cortex (outer layer) of the adrenal gland — the '-ol' simply flags it as an alcohol-class steroid compound. The name is pure lab Latin, no legend attached: cortex gives the place, -isol/-ol gives the chemistry. The lion-attack drama came later, once scientists mapped it to the body's fight-or-flight wiring.