thyroid

American  

[thahy-roid] / ˈθaɪ rɔɪd /

adjective

1. of or relating to the thyroid gland.

2. of or relating to the largest cartilage of the larynx, forming the projection known in humans as the Adam's apple.

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noun

• thyroids
  plural

1. thyroid gland.

2. the thyroid cartilage.

3. an artery, vein, etc., in the thyroid region.

4. Medicine/Medical. a preparation made from the thyroid glands of certain animals, used in treating hypothyroid conditions.

thyroid British  

/ ˈθaɪrɔɪd /

adjective

1. of or relating to the thyroid gland

2. of or relating to the largest cartilage of the larynx

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noun

1. See thyroid gland

2. Also: thyroid extract. the powdered preparation made from the thyroid gland of certain animals, used to treat hypothyroidism

thyroid Cultural  

1. A large gland in the neck that functions in the endocrine system. The thyroid secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antithyroid
  adjective
• postthyroidal
  adjective
• prethyroid
  adjective
• thyroidal
  adjective
• thyroidless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thyroids
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of thyroid

1685–95; variant of thyreoid < Greek thyreoeidḗs shield-shaped, equivalent to thyre ( ós ) oblong shield (literally, doorlike object, equivalent to thýr ( a ) door + -eos adj. suffix) + -oeidēs -oid

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thyroid thyroids

It might be grief, or divorce, or a thyroid, or none of my business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"I was supposed to go for a thyroid check-up in January," Vasile, a 56-year-old housewife, told AFP, saying she used the money instead for food and the electricity bill.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Clough, still doing well four years after a diagnosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer, said people can’t believe it when she tells them about the prohibition on communications with her doctor in Texas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

She has suffered for years from multiple chronic health issues including ME and an autoimmune thyroid condition.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The weed-killer aminotriazole has caused thyroid cancer in test animals.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

With a million better things to do, we race the beagle to the vet, who mutters a bunch of things about thyroids and further tests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2018

Government scientists, drawing on data from Nagasaki and Hiroshima, used to visit schools to check thyroids and radioactivity levels, recalled Peterson, another advocate.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 6, 2015

Yet when Japanese scientists and inspected the bodies of 38,000 children living in the Fukushima Prefecture, they found 36 percent had abnormal growths on their thyroids a year after the accident.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2013

Cats with overactive thyroids – which can lead to weight loss, increased appetite, hyperactivity and death – had higher blood levels of the chemicals, according to one small study led by Environmental Protection Agency scientists.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 25, 2012

Of course, the radioactive strontium they ate was concentrated in their bones, and the radioactive iodine was concentrated in their thyroids.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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