kidney
Americannoun
plural
kidneys-
Anatomy. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.
-
Zoology. a corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.
-
the meat of an animal's kidney used as food.
-
constitution or temperament.
He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.
-
kind, sort, or class.
He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.
noun
-
either of two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdominal cavity in man, one on each side of the spinal column. They maintain water and electrolyte balance and filter waste products from the blood, which are excreted as urine
-
the corresponding organ in other animals
-
the kidneys of certain animals used as food
-
class, type, or disposition (esp in the phrases of the same or a different kidney )
-
Either of a pair of organs that are located in the rear of the abdominal cavity in vertebrates. The kidneys regulate fluid balance in the body and filter out wastes from the blood in the form of urine. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. Wastes filtered from the blood by the nephrons drain into the ureters, muscular tubes that connect each kidney to the bladder.
-
See also nephron
Other Word Forms
- kidneylike adjective
Etymology
Origin of kidney
1275–1325; Middle English kidenei, kidenere (singular), kideneres, kideneren (plural); origin uncertain; perhaps a compound based either on nere (singular), neres (plural) kidney ( Old English *nēore; compare Old High German nioro, Old Norse nȳra ); or ei (singular), eiren (plural) egg 1, Old English ǣg (singular), ǣgru (plural) (by association with the organ's shape); for the first element compare dial. kid pod (akin to cod 2 )
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.
"Every day that passes drains my life and worsens my condition," said Mohammed Shamiya, 33, who suffers from kidney disease and requires dialysis treatment abroad.
From Barron's
According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure raises the risk of serious conditions including heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and other cardiovascular diseases.
From Science Daily
These can include muscle pain and weakness, and in rare situations, a dangerous breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure.
From Science Daily
A new study published in Kidney International reports that a class of medications called SGLT2 inhibitors helped prevent age-related damage to kidney structure and function in the African turquoise killifish.
From Science Daily
In the meantime, the stoics among us will just wait until this too shall pass — like a bad kidney stone.
From Salon
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.
