endocrine gland

American  

noun

1. any of various glands, as the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary glands, that secrete certain substances or hormones directly into the blood or lymph; ductless gland.

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endocrine gland British  

noun

1. Also called: ductless gland.  any of the glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream, including the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, testes, ovaries, and the pancreatic islets of Langerhans

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endocrine gland Scientific  

/ ĕn′də-krĭn,-krēn′ /

1. A gland of the body that produces hormones and secretes them directly into the bloodstream. In mammals, the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and pituitary gland, as well as the ovaries, testes, and the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas are endocrine glands.

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endocrine gland Cultural  

1. A gland that secretes hormones directly into the blood. These glands make up the endocrine system.

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Etymology

Origin of endocrine gland

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Human endocrine glands secrete hormones and other chemical messengers that regulate crucial functions, from growth and reproduction to hunger and body temperature.

From Scientific American

Mutations of the MEN1 gene can cause a rare inherited cancer of the endocrine glands called multiple endocrine neoplasia, but up to now the gene has not been associated with breast cancer.

From US News

When your thyroid—a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland in your neck that churns out hormones—isn’t working properly, it affects hormones throughout your body, including those linked with hair growth.

From Time

According to the magazine, numerous studies over the last two decades have revealed that fat tissue is essentially a “single huge endocrine gland” with great influence over the rest of the body.

From Washington Post

The Diagnosis: Multiple endocrine neoplasia, or MEN, is marked by a rare inherited predisposition to develop tumors, or neoplasia, in various endocrine glands.

From New York Times