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gland

1 American  
[gland] / glænd /

noun

  1. Anatomy.

    1. a cell, group of cells, or organ producing a secretion.

    2. any of various organs or structures resembling the shape but not the function of true glands.

  2. Botany. a secreting organ or structure.

gland 2 American  
[gland] / glænd /

noun

Machinery.

  1. a sleeve within a stuffing box, fitted over a shaft or valve stem and tightened against compressible packing in such a way as to prevent leakage of fluid while allowing the shaft or stem to move; lantern ring.

  2. stuffing box.

gland 1 British  
/ ɡlænd /

noun

  1. a device that prevents leakage of fluid along a rotating shaft or reciprocating rod passing through a boundary between areas of high and low pressure. It often consists of a flanged metal sleeve bedding into a stuffing box

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gland 2 British  
/ ɡlænd /

noun

  1. a cell or organ in man and other animals that synthesizes chemical substances and secretes them for the body to use or eliminate, either through a duct (exocrine gland) or directly into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) See also exocrine gland endocrine gland

  2. a structure, such as a lymph node, that resembles a gland in form

  3. a cell or organ in plants that synthesizes and secretes a particular substance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gland Scientific  
/ glănd /

  1. An organ or group of specialized cells in the body that produces and secretes a specific substance, such as a hormone.

  2. See also endocrine gland exocrine gland

Other Word Forms

  • glandless adjective
  • glandlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of gland1

1685–95; < Latin gland- (stem of glāns acorn); compare Italian ghianda

Origin of gland2

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The researchers examined prostate tissue collected from 10 patients undergoing surgery to remove the gland.

From Science Daily

A phaeochromocytoma is a rare tumour of the adrenal glands, which sit above the kidneys, the NHS says.

From BBC

One suggested that going on a sunbed for "eight minutes" could prevent colds and flu, while another claimed that UV rays could "stimulate the thyroid gland" to help someone lose weight.

From BBC

Skunks spray an oily liquid from glands underneath their tails as a defense.

From Literature

“The horn has a poison that the karkadann secretes from a gland at the point.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.