renal

American

[reen-l] / ˈrin l /

adjective

of or relating to the kidneys or the surrounding regions.

renal British

/ ˈriːnəl /

adjective

of, relating to, resembling, or situated near the kidney

"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

renal Scientific

/ rē′nəl /

Relating to or involving the kidneys.

renal Cultural

A descriptive term for the kidneys.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of renal

1650–60; < Late Latin rēnālis, equivalent to Latin rēn ( ēs ) kidneys (plural) + -ālis -al ¹

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.

The findings were presented at the European Renal Association Congress in Glasgow, United Kingdom, and were simultaneously published in three leading medical journals: The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

The criteria for diagnosing myeloma are sometimes described using the acronym CRAB: Calcium elevation, Renal issues, Anemia, Bone problems.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

The second illness, Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal syndrome, is more severe and primarily affects the kidneys.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025

The research was presented at a European Renal Association meeting in Stockholm on Friday and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

Renal Functional Tests.—The following schedule is used by Mosenthal, of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, in making what is known as the “Two-Hour Test for Renal Function”:

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023