parotid

American  

[puh-rot-id] / pəˈrɒt ɪd /

noun

1. Also called parotid gland.  a salivary gland situated at the base of each ear.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated near either parotid.

parotid British  

/ pəˈrɒtɪd /

adjective

1. relating to or situated near the parotid gland

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noun

1. See parotid gland

Other Word Forms

• parotidean adjective
• postparotid adjective

Etymology

Origin of parotid

1680–90; < New Latin parōtid- (stem of parōtis ) parotid gland; Latin: tumor near the ear < Greek parōtís. See par-, oto-

Example Sentences

The positioning of the parotid gland was important as it was preventing the tumour from damaging facial tissue or harming important nearby structures, including the facial nerve.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025

The warty amphibian can secrete a milky poison from the parotid glands behind its shoulders that can be fatal to wildlife.

From Washington Post • Jan. 20, 2023

Billows has been undergoing treatment for parotid salivary cancer since November 2020 and wants to spend more time with his family.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2022

The parasympathetic fibers of the glossopharyngeal nerve synapse in the otic ganglion, which projects to the parotid gland.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Bufo occidentalis has a broader interorbital area and relatively shorter and more rounded parotid glands than bocourti.

From The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacán, México by Duellman, William E.