tonsil
Americannoun
noun
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Also called: palatine tonsil. either of two small masses of lymphatic tissue situated one on each side of the back of the mouth
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anatomy any small rounded mass of tissue, esp lymphatic tissue
Usage
What are tonsil stones? Tonsil stones are small yellow or white lumps embedded in the tonsils. They result from bacterial or fungal build-up that forms into a nasty-smelling—but generally—harmless mass.How do you pronounce tonsil stones?[ ton-suh l stohnz ]
Other Word Forms
- tonsilar adjective
- tonsillar adjective
- tonsillary adjective
Etymology
Origin of tonsil
First recorded in 1595–1605, tonsil is from the Latin word tōnsillae (plural) the tonsils
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.
Grandma would look at my teeth, my tongue, and my tonsils; and way on down into my throat.
From Literature
The players have had it up their tonsils with the fighting talk, knowing that only deeds and not words are going to get the job done, beginning in Rome on Saturday.
From BBC
The guards were slack-jawed with shock, tonsils on view to the world.
From Literature
About £6m was spent in a single year on removing patients' tonsils.
From BBC
She had a four-octave vocal range and the ability to perform everything from Schoenberg to a Spike Milligan hit about a man with too many tonsils.
From BBC
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.
