parathyroid gland

noun Anatomy.

any of several small oval glands usually lying near or embedded in the thyroid gland.

Origin of parathyroid gland

First recorded in 1900–05

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British Dictionary definitions for parathyroid gland

parathyroid gland

noun

any one of the small egg-shaped endocrine glands situated near or embedded within the thyroid gland: they secrete parathyroid hormone

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

parathyroid gland in Medicine

parathyroid gland

Any of usually four small kidney-shaped glands that lie in pairs near or within the posterior surface of the thyroid gland and secrete a hormone necessary for the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus.

parathyroid gland in Science

parathyroid gland

[păr′ə-thī′roid]

Any of four kidney-shaped glands located behind or within the thyroid gland of many vertebrate animals.♦ The parathyroid glands secrete parathyroid hormone, which regulates the amount of calcium in the blood.