goiter

[goi-ter]

noun Pathology.

an enlargement of the thyroid gland on the front and sides of the neck, usually symptomatic of abnormal thyroid secretion, especially hypothyroidism due to a lack of iodine in the diet.

Also especially British, goi·tre.

Compare exophthalmic goiter.

Origin of goiter

1615–25; < French goitre ≪ Latin guttur throat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for goitre

Historical Examples of goitre

A case of belief in consumption with goitre was lately cured in the West.
The Faith Doctor
Edward Eggleston
Penrod looked in the window and was rewarded by a fine view of Queenie's goitre.
Penrod
Booth Tarkington
It was on a young Moolah or Priest: he had a goitre—or enlarged thyroid.
At the Court of the Amr
John Alfred Gray
It is applicable in all the forms of Scrofula, and in Goitre.
The Action of Medicines in the System
Frederick William Headland
To be worn constantly in goitre or bronchocele, renewing it every month.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for goitre

goitre

US goiter

noun

pathol a swelling of the thyroid gland, in some cases nearly doubling the size of the neck, usually caused by under- or overproduction of hormone by the gland

Derived Formsgoitred or US goitered, adjectivegoitrous, adjective

Word Origin for goitre

C17: from French goitre, from Old French goitron, ultimately from Latin guttur throat

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

Word Origin and History for goitre

alternative spelling of goiter.

goiter

1620s, from French goître (16c.), from Rhône dialect, from Old Provençal goitron "throat, gullet," from Vulgar Latin *gutturiosum or *gutturionem, from Latin guttur "throat" (see guttural).

goitre in Medicine

goiter

[goi′tər]

A noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland, visible as a swelling at the front of the neck, that is often associated with iodine deficiency.

Related formsgoi′trous (-trəs) adj.

goitre in Science

goiter

[goi′tər]

An enlarged thyroid gland, visible as a swelling at the front of the neck. It is often associated with thyroid disease, especially in areas of the world outside of North America where iodine deficiency is endemic.