liver
1Anatomy. a large, reddish-brown, glandular organ located in the upper right side of the abdominal cavity, divided by fissures into five lobes and functioning in the secretion of bile and various metabolic processes.
an organ in other animals similar to the human liver, often used as food.
a diseased condition of the liver; biliousness: a touch of liver.
a reddish-brown color.
a rubberlike, irreversible thickening suspension occurring in paint, ink, etc., due to a chemical reaction between a colloidal pigment and a vehicle or as a result of polymerization of the vehicle.
of the color of liver.
(of paint, ink, etc.) to undergo irreversible thickening.
Origin of liver
1Other words from liver
- liv·er·less, adjective
Words Nearby liver
Other definitions for liver (2 of 3)
a person who lives in a manner specified: an extravagant liver.
a dweller or resident; inhabitant.
Origin of liver
2Other definitions for liver (3 of 3)
comparative of live2.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use liver in a sentence
Some have developed immune disorders or heart and liver issues.
Space travel may harm health by damaging cells’ powerhouses | Jack J. Lee | February 5, 2021 | Science News For StudentsA startup called Intellia Therapeutics is testing a treatment that packages CRISPR into RNA and then into a nanoparticle, with which it hopes to cure a painful inherited liver disease.
The next act for messenger RNA could be bigger than covid vaccines | David Rotman | February 5, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewThis protein can supply the liver only part of what it needs to meet human energy needs.
Harsh Ice Age winters may have helped turn wolves into dogs | Bruce Bower | February 3, 2021 | Science News For StudentsThis liver pudding won Shanti one of the many awards she’s received from Helm’s publication, Stu Helm The Food Fan.
For men over that same period, death rates decreased for 10 of the 19 most common cancers but increased for six, including liver and non-melanoma skin cancer.
How to Fix the Incentives in Cancer Research (Ep. 449) | Stephen J. Dubner | January 28, 2021 | Freakonomics
Family members say he developed also liver cancer after his capture.
Eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
He became delirious, his heartbeat grew ragged, his blood teemed with the virus, and his lungs, liver and kidneys began to fail.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Dec 8-14, 2014 | William Boot | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs digesting food passes through the small intestine, it mixes with chemicals from the liver, and nutrients are absorbed.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture | Russell Saunders | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen stab her to death and bring me back her lungs and liver as proof of your deed.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her | The Brothers Grimm | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn May 13 Polavieja arrived in Barcelona physically broken, half blind, and with evident traces of a disordered liver.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanExcretion of these substances is greatly increased by a diet rich in nuclei, as sweetbreads and liver.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddA very small amount may be present after ingestion of large quantities of cod-liver oil or other fats.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddAs they entered, a liver-coloured hound that lay stretched before the fire growled lazily, and showed the whites of his eyes.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniPassive hyperemia occurs most commonly in diseases of the heart and liver and in pregnancy.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for liver (1 of 2)
/ (ˈlɪvə) /
a multilobed highly vascular reddish-brown glandular organ occupying most of the upper right part of the human abdominal cavity immediately below the diaphragm. It secretes bile, stores glycogen, detoxifies certain poisons, and plays an important part in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, helping to maintain a correct balance of nutrients: Related adjective: hepatic
the corresponding organ in animals
the liver of certain animals used as food
a reddish-brown colour, sometimes with a greyish tinge
Origin of liver
1Derived forms of liver
- liverless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for liver (2 of 2)
/ (ˈlɪvə) /
a person who lives in a specified way: a fast liver
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
Scientific definitions for liver
[ lĭv′ər ]
A large glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrate animals that is essential to many metabolic processes. The liver secretes bile, stores fat and sugar as reserve energy sources, converts harmful substances to less toxic forms, and regulates the amount of blood in the body.
A similar organ of invertebrate animals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for liver
A large organ, located on the right side of the abdomen and protected by the lower rib cage, that produces bile and blood proteins, stores vitamins for later release into the bloodstream, removes toxins (including alcohol) from the blood, breaks down old red blood cells, and helps maintain levels of blood sugar in the body.
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.
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