kidney

[kid-nee] /ˈkɪd ni/

noun, plural kidneys.

Anatomy. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.

Zoology. a corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.

the meat of an animal's kidney used as food.

constitution or temperament:

He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.

kind, sort, or class:

He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.

Origin

1275-1325; Middle English kidenei, kidenere (singular), kideneres, kideneren (plural); origin uncertain; perhaps a compound based either on nere (singular), neres (plural) kidney (Old English *nēore; compare Old High German nioro, Old Norse nȳra); or ei (singular), eiren (plural) egg¹, Old English ǣg (singular), ǣgru (plural) (by association with the organ's shape); for the first element compare dial. kid pod (akin to cod²)

Related forms

kidneylike, adjective

Examples from the web for kidneys

Her kidneys were failing and she had gained a grotesque amount of weight due to fluid retention and so forth.
In healthy birds, uric acid is excreted by the kidneys and is seen as the white material in their droppings.
Diuretics cause the kidneys to remove sodium and water from the body, thereby alleviating pressure on the blood vessel walls.
Finally, there is the liver, which turns fat-soluble poisons into watersoluble wastes that can be flushed out through our kidneys.
Trees can be thought of as kidneys of the delta, cleansing the system by removing its salts.
Klebsiella can also attach to the urinary tract and infect the kidneys.
When your kidneys fail, the body starts fill- ing up with uric acid then.
Its liver and lungs weIghed a ton apiece, and its kidneys and stomach half a ton.
It soon became evident from his empty urine bag that his kidneys had failed, too.
Tessa is his new bride, and she is roughly as diplomatic as a punch in the kidneys.

British Dictionary definitions for kidneys

kidney

/ˈkɪdnɪ/

noun

either of two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdominal cavity in man, one on each side of the spinal column. They maintain water and electrolyte balance and filter waste products from the blood, which are excreted as urine related adjectives nephritic renal

the corresponding organ in other animals

the kidneys of certain animals used as food

class, type, or disposition (esp in the phrases of the same or a different kidney)

Derived Forms

kidneylike, adjective

Word Origin

C14: of uncertain origin

Word Origin and History for kidneys

kidney

early 14c., of unknown origin, originally kidenere, perhaps a compound of Old English cwið "womb" (see bowel) + ey "egg" (see egg (n.)) in reference to the shape of the organ. Figurative sense of "temperament" is from 1550s. Kidney bean is from 1540s, so called for its shape.

kidneys in Medicine

kidney kid·ney (kĭd'nē)
n. pl. kid·neys
Either of a pair of organs in the dorsal region of the vertebrate abdominal cavity, functioning to maintain proper water and electrolyte balance, regulate acid-base concentration, and filter the blood of metabolic wastes, which are then excreted as urine.

kidneys in Science

kidney

(kĭd'nē)

Either of a pair of organs that are located in the rear of the abdominal cavity in vertebrates. The kidneys regulate fluid balance in the body and filter out wastes from the blood in the form of urine. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. Wastes filtered from the blood by the nephrons drain into the ureters, muscular tubes that connect each kidney to the bladder. See also nephron.

kidneys in Culture

kidneys definition

A pair of organs, the principal parts of the excretory system, located above the waistline at the back of the abdominal cavity. The kidneys filter waste materials from the blood, excreting these wastes in the form of urine; they also regulate the amounts of water and other chemicals in body fluids.

Slang definitions & phrases for kidneys

kidney

Related Terms

gripe one's ass