thymus
/ˈθaɪ.məs/ noun
Forms thymuses thymi
- noun (anatomy, immunology) Ellipsis of thymus gland (“A ductless gland, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue, located behind the top of the breastbone. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size. It plays an important role in the development of the immune system and produces lymphocytes.”).
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin thymus, from Ancient Greek θύμος (thúmos, “warty excrescence, (also, as used by Galen) thymus gland”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of, pertaining to, or designating, the thymus gland.
- adjective The thymus gland. Thymus gland, or Thymus body, a ductless gland in the throat, or in the neighboring region, of nearly all vertebrates. In man and other mammals it is the throat, or neck, sweetbread, which lies in the upper part of the thorax and lower part of the throat. It is largest in fetal and early life, and disappears or becomes rudimentary in the adult.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “thymus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details