islet of Langerhans

[ lahng-er-hahns, -hahnz, lahng-ger- ]

/ ˈlɑŋ ərˌhɑns, -ˌhɑnz, ˈlɑŋ gər- /

noun Anatomy.

any of several masses of endocrine cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon.

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Origin of islet of Langerhans

named after Paul Langerhans (1847–88), German anatomist, who described them in 1869

Also called island of Langerhans.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019