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exocrine gland

American

noun

any of several glands, as the salivary glands, that secrete externally through a duct.

exocrine gland British

noun

any gland, such as a salivary or sweat gland, that secretes its products through a duct onto an epithelial surface

"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

exocrine gland Scientific

/ ĕk′sə-krĭn,-krēn /

Any gland of the body that produces secretions and discharges them into a cavity or through a duct to the surface of the body. In mammals, the sweat glands and mammary glands are exocrine glands.

Etymology

Origin of exocrine gland

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

Although it is primarily an exocrine gland, secreting a variety of digestive enzymes, the pancreas has an endocrine function.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

IgA exists in two forms, a four-chain monomer in the blood and an eight-chain structure, or dimer, in exocrine gland secretions of the mucous membranes, including mucus, saliva, and tears.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

What is a similarity and a difference between an exocrine gland and an endocrine gland?

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

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