Thymus Definition

thīməs
thymuses
noun
thymuses
A gland in the upper thorax or neck of all vertebrates, involved in the production of lymphocytes: in humans, it is most prominent at puberty, after which it disappears or becomes vestigial.
Webster's New World
A small glandular organ that is situated behind the top of the breastbone, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue and serving as the site of T cell differentiation. The thymus increases gradually in size and activity until puberty, after which it begins to atrophy.
American Heritage Medicine
A similar structure in other vertebrate animals.
American Heritage Medicine
Synonyms:
  • genus Thymus
  • thymus gland
pronoun

A taxonomic genus within the family Lamiaceae "” thyme.

Wiktionary

A taxonomic genus within the family Eulophidae.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Thymus

Noun

Singular:
thymus
Plural:
thymi, thymuses

Origin of Thymus

  • From the Modern Latin thymus, from the Ancient Greek θύμος (thumos, “warty excrescence", (also, as used by Galen) “thymus gland").

    From Wiktionary

  • New Latin from Greek thumos warty excrescence, thymus

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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