parathyroid gland
- any of several small oval glands usually lying near or embedded in the thyroid gland.
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Origin of parathyroid gland
First recorded in 1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
parathyroid gland
- any one of the small egg-shaped endocrine glands situated near or embedded within the thyroid gland: they secrete parathyroid hormone
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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
- 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.