salivary gland

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. any of several glands, as the submaxillary glands, that secrete saliva.

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salivary gland British  

noun

1. any of the glands in mammals that secrete saliva. In man the chief salivary glands are the parotid, sublingual and submaxillary glands

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salivary gland Scientific  

/ săl′ə-vĕr′ē /

1. A gland in terrestrial animals that secretes saliva. In humans, three pairs of large glands, which include the parotid glands, secrete saliva into the mouth.

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Etymology

Origin of salivary gland

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

She was initially told that, to remove the pleomorphic adenoma, surgeons would have to cut out her largest salivary gland, which contains the facial nerve.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

They found the gene for the salivary gland growth protein—and discovered that the cells producing it were ionocytes, a specialized cell type that pumps charged particles across membranes.

From Scientific American • Jul. 22, 2022

The chromosomes depicted here were isolated from a fruit fly’s salivary gland, stained with dye, and visualized under a microscope.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Over the years, Rush has also experienced health problems and underwent surgery in in 2008 to have a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland removed.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 3, 2022

A salivary gland in front of Garfield's right ear swelled.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow