gland

¹ 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.

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gland ² 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.

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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

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

• glandless adjective
• glandlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of gland¹

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Origin of gland¹

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

Example Sentences

When he arrived in Massachusetts for his first fellowship studying parathyroid hormone, Habener found a ready source of thyroid glands to study from a local Cambridge slaughterhouse that supplied calf meat.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Copenhagen” taps the adrenal gland by keeping viewers off balance about who is who and what is what, beginning with the opening subtitles: President—and former CIA director—George H.W.

From The Wall Street Journal

The investigators applied their deep learning model to the CT scans to automatically outline and measure adrenal gland volume.

From Science Daily

The cream sped up wound closure and helped regenerate structures such as hair follicles, oil glands, and cartilage.

From Science Daily

She underwent an operation which included the removal of her salivary glands, causing her to temporarily lose her sense of smell and taste.

From BBC