Gland

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɡlænd/

Definitions

1. A biological structure responsible for the secretion of various substances, including hormones and enzymes, in both animals and plants, also refers to specialized groups of cells that perform these functions
2. A cellular formation found in organisms that generates and releases important substances like hormones or oils, serving essential physiological roles in both the animal and plant kingdoms
3. A specialized organ or tissue that manufactures and emits substances such as hormones or enzymes in living beings

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "gland" is that it has two unrelated origins. The organ sense comes from Latin "glandula," a diminutive of "glans," meaning acorn. Roman writers applied the word to small swellings in the throat, which resembled little acorns, and the name passed through French into English in the late 17th century. Physicians were comparing these lumps to nuts long before anyone understood what the organs actually did. The other "gland" is a different word entirely. In the early 19th century it appeared with a meaning of a clamp or vise, probably from the Scots "glam," which in turn likely comes from a variant of "clam," the same root as "clamp." It is a coincidence of spelling that the two words have converged in English, and the anatomical sense is the one that stuck in scientific use.

Synonyms: organ, tissue, secretory organ