thymus gland

[ (theye-muhs) ]


A gland located behind the breastbone that functions in the development of the immune system. The thymus is large in infancy and early childhood but begins to atrophy between ages eight and ten.

Words Nearby thymus gland

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use thymus gland in a sentence

  • The thymus gland attains a considerable development in the embryo and shrinks away to the merest vestige in the adult.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • It is nearly always accompanied by a distinct hypertrophy of the thymus gland.

  • The thymus gland, which lies near the heart and is often called the heart sweetbread, is the best one.

    Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3 | Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
  • Of the four basic components on the right, thymine occurs in the nucleic acid from the thymus gland.

    History of Phosphorus | Eduard Farber
  • After respiration they expand and occupy the whole thorax, and closely surround the heart and thymus gland.

    Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology | W. G. Aitchison Robertson