kidney
Americannoun
plural
kidneys-
Anatomy. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.
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Zoology. a corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.
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the meat of an animal's kidney used as food.
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constitution or temperament.
He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.
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kind, sort, or class.
He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.
noun
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either of two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdominal cavity in man, one on each side of the spinal column. They maintain water and electrolyte balance and filter waste products from the blood, which are excreted as urine
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the corresponding organ in other animals
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the kidneys of certain animals used as food
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class, type, or disposition (esp in the phrases of the same or a different kidney )
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Either of a pair of organs that are located in the rear of the abdominal cavity in vertebrates. The kidneys regulate fluid balance in the body and filter out wastes from the blood in the form of urine. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. Wastes filtered from the blood by the nephrons drain into the ureters, muscular tubes that connect each kidney to the bladder.
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See also nephron
Other Word Forms
- kidneylike adjective
Etymology
Origin of kidney
1275–1325; Middle English kidenei, kidenere (singular), kideneres, kideneren (plural); origin uncertain; perhaps a compound based either on nere (singular), neres (plural) kidney ( Old English *nēore; compare Old High German nioro, Old Norse nȳra ); or ei (singular), eiren (plural) egg 1, Old English ǣg (singular), ǣgru (plural) (by association with the organ's shape); for the first element compare dial. kid pod (akin to cod 2 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
American Indian and Alaska Native people now have the highest cancer death rates in the country, with deaths from kidney, liver, stomach and cervical cancers about double that of white Americans.
From Los Angeles Times
Through its CKM Health Initiative, the American Heart Association is offering educational tools and an online resource hub to explain how heart, kidney and metabolic health are linked.
From Science Daily
A large international study has found that taking a daily fish oil supplement can sharply lower the risk of serious heart-related complications in people undergoing dialysis for kidney failure.
From Science Daily
Tony Petitti, the conference commissioner, happened to be in Seattle on Tuesday for a Celebration of Life service for Washington goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who died on Nov. 6 from an rare form of kidney cancer.
From Los Angeles Times
Doctors determined she was suffering from kidney failure and needed ongoing treatment including chemotherapy and peritoneal dialysis.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
