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goiter

[goi-ter]
noun Pathology.
  1. 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.
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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

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for goitre

goitre

US goiter

noun
  1. 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
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Derived Formsgoitred or US goitered, adjectivegoitrous, adjective

Word Origin

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

n.

alternative spelling of goiter.

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goiter

n.

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).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
goitre in Medicine

goiter

(goi′tər)
n.
  1. A noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland, visible as a swelling at the front of the neck, that is often associated with iodine deficiency.
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Related formsgoi′trous (-trəs) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
goitre in Science

goiter

[goi′tər]
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.