THYMUS GLAND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does thymus gland mean? 

• THYMUS GLAND (noun)
  The noun THYMUS GLAND has 1 sense:

1. a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age

  Familiarity information: THYMUS GLAND used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• THYMUS GLAND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

thymus; thymus gland

Hypernyms ("thymus gland" is a kind of...):

ductless gland; endocrine; endocrine gland (any of the glands of the endocrine system that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream)

Holonyms ("thymus gland" is a part of...):

immune system (a system (including the thymus and bone marrow and lymphoid tissues) that protects the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms by producing the immune response)

cervix; neck (the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body)

 Context examples 

Sometimes surgery to take out the thymus gland helps.

(Myasthenia Gravis, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

A thymoma that arises in the cervical region and is not connected with the thymus gland.

(Ectopic Cervical Thymoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Although its etiology is unknown, it has been described in patients with HIV infection and in patients with nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma affecting the thymus gland.

(Multilocular Thymic Cyst, NCI Thesaurus)

One of a group of aggressive (fast-growing) non-Hodgkin lymphomas that begin in mature T lymphocytes (T cells that have matured in the thymus gland and gone to other lymphatic sites in the body, including lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen.) Also called mature T-cell lymphoma.

(peripheral T-cell lymphoma, NCI Dictionary)

A multicystic lesion that arises from the epithelial component of the thymus gland.

(Multilocular Thymic Cyst, NCI Thesaurus)