gland1

[gland] /glænd/
noun
1.
Anatomy.
  1. a cell, group of cells, or organ producing a secretion.
  2. any of various organs or structures resembling the shape but not the function of true glands.
2.
Botany. a secreting organ or structure.
Origin
1685-95; < Latin gland- (stem of glāns acorn); compare Italian ghianda
Related forms
glandless, adjective
glandlike, adjective

gland2

[gland] /glænd/
noun, Machinery
1.
a sleeve within a stuffing box, fitted over a shaft or valve stem and tightened against compressible packing in such a way as to prevent leakage of fluid while allowing the shaft or stem to move; lantern ring.
2.
stuffing box.
Origin
1830-40; origin uncertain
Examples from the web for gland
  • This type of gland is found in the salivary glands and esophagus.
  • The yellow bill colors of many hornbills are produced by preen gland secretions.
  • This is not a true goiter, which is caused by the enlargement of the thyroid gland.
  • It also causes the thyroid gland to grow in size by increasing cell division.
  • Near its base, the twiggy petiole bares a small, raised, oval gland.
  • Aging skin also receives less blood flow and lower gland activity.
  • It also causes gradual enlargement of the thyroid gland, referred to as a goitre.
  • Both the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland are in the brain.
British Dictionary definitions for gland

gland1

/ɡlænd/
noun
1.
a cell or organ in man and other animals that synthesizes chemical substances and secretes them for the body to use or eliminate, either through a duct (exocrine gland) or directly into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) See also exocrine gland, endocrine gland
2.
a structure, such as a lymph node, that resembles a gland in form
3.
a cell or organ in plants that synthesizes and secretes a particular substance
related
adjective adenoid
Derived Forms
glandlike, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin glāns acorn

gland2

/ɡlænd/
noun
1.
a device that prevents leakage of fluid along a rotating shaft or reciprocating rod passing through a boundary between areas of high and low pressure. It often consists of a flanged metal sleeve bedding into a stuffing box
Word Origin
C19: of unknown origin
Word Origin and History for gland
n.

1690s, from French glande (Old French glandre, 13c.), from Latin glandula "gland of the throat, tonsil," diminutive of glans (genitive glandis) "acorn, nut; acorn-shaped ball," from PIE root *gwele- "acorn" (cf. Greek balanos, Armenian kalin, Old Church Slavonic zelodi "acorn;" Lithuanian gile "oak"). Earlier English form was glandula (c.1400).

gland in Medicine

gland (glānd)
n.

  1. A cell, a group of cells, or an organ that produces a secretion for use in or for elimination from the body.

  2. Any of various organs, such as lymph nodes, that resemble true glands but perform a nonsecretory function.

gland in Science
gland
(glānd)
An organ or group of specialized cells in the body that produces and secretes a specific substance, such as a hormone. See also endocrine gland, exocrine gland.