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gonad

[goh-nad, gon-ad]
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noun Anatomy.
  1. a sex gland in which gametes are produced; an ovary or testis.
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Origin of gonad

1875–80; < New Latin gonad- (stem of gonas), equivalent to gon- gon- + -ad- -ad1
Related formsgo·nad·al, go·na·di·al [goh-ney-dee-uh l] /goʊˈneɪ di əl/, go·nad·ic [goh-nad-ik] /goʊˈnæd ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

genitalia, nuts, gonads, vulva, testes, stones, pudenda, ballocks, balls, rocks

Examples from the Web for gonads

Historical Examples

  • The gonads are pink in the males, and yellow in the females.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

    Augusta Foote Arnold

  • Gonads were moderately active in our specimens as early as mid-July.

  • In birds taken by Coultas in November the gonads were beginning to enlarge; specimens taken in December had swollen gonads.

  • The contents of the gonads drop into the central cavity and pass out through the mouth.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

    Augusta Foote Arnold

  • Four egg-sacs, or gonads, are conspicuous in horseshoe shape around the center of the disk.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

    Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for gonads

gonad

noun
  1. an animal organ in which gametes are produced, such as a testis or an ovary
  2. slang a foolish or stupid person
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Derived Formsgonadal, gonadial (ɡɒˈneɪdɪəl) or gonadic, adjective

Word Origin

C19: from New Latin gonas, from Greek gonos seed
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 gonads

gonad

n.

1880, from Modern Latin gonas (plural gonades), coined from Greek gone, gonos "seed, act of generation, race, family," from gignesthai "be born," related to genos "race, birth, descent" (see genus). Related: gonads.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gonads in Medicine

gonad

(gō′năd′)
n.
  1. An organ that produces gametes, especially a testis or an ovary.
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Related formsgo•nad′al (gō-năd′l) null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
gonads in Science

gonad

[gō′năd′]
  1. An organ in animals that produces reproductive cells (gametes). The ovary and testis are gonads.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gonads in Culture

gonads

[(goh-nadz)]

The organs in animals that produce sex cells: ovaries in the female, testes in the male.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.