spleen

[spleen] /splin/
noun
1.
a highly vascular, glandular, ductless organ, situated in humans at the cardiac end of the stomach, serving chiefly in the formation of mature lymphocytes, in the destruction of worn-out red blood cells, and as a reservoir for blood.
2.
Obsolete. this organ conceived of as the seat of spirit and courage or of such emotions as mirth, ill humor, melancholy, etc.
3.
ill humor, peevish temper, or spite.
4.
Archaic. melancholy.
5.
Obsolete, caprice.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English < Latin splēn < Greek splḗn; akin to Sanskrit plīhan, Latin liēn spleen
Related forms
spleenish, adjective
unspleenish, adjective
unspleenishly, adverb
Synonyms
3. petulance, rancor, acrimoniousness; wrath, ire, anger.
Examples from the web for spleen
  • Symptoms include anemia, fatigue, and enlarged liver and spleen.
  • The spleen is an organ that is a part of the lymph system.
  • Scientists have found that the spleen plays a more important role in the body's defense system than anyone suspected.
  • As a result, the liver and spleen try to make some of these blood cells.
  • The liver and the spleen remove old red blood cells are removed from the blood by the liver and spleen.
  • In the months after, she had blood transfusions and her spleen removed.
  • The liver or spleen may become enlarged, causing pain in the upper right or upper left sides of the abdomen.
  • Removing the spleen may improve blood counts, but is unlikely to cure the disease.
  • Your doctor may discover that you have an enlarged liver or spleen.
  • He said that her spleen had been removed and that she had suffered broken ribs and a lacerated liver in the accident.
British Dictionary definitions for spleen

spleen

/spliːn/
noun
1.
a spongy highly vascular organ situated near the stomach in man. It forms lymphocytes, produces antibodies, aids in destroying worn-out red blood cells, and filters bacteria and foreign particles from the blood related adjectives lienal splenetic splenic
2.
the corresponding organ in other animals
3.
spitefulness or ill humour; peevishness: to vent one's spleen
4.
(archaic) the organ in the human body considered to be the seat of the emotions
5.
(archaic) another word for melancholy
6.
(obsolete) whim; mood
Derived Forms
spleenish, spleeny, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French esplen, from Latin splēn, from Greek; related to Latin lien spleen
Word Origin and History for spleen
n.

c.1300, from Old French esplen, from Latin splen, from Greek splen, from PIE *splegh- (cf. Sanskrit plihan-, Avestan sperezan, Armenian p'aicaln, Latin lien, Old Church Slavonic slezena, Lithuanian bluznis, Old Prussian blusne, Old Irish selg "spleen"). Regarded in medieval physiology as the seat of morose feelings and bad temper. Hence figurative sense of "violent ill-temper" (1590s).

spleen in Medicine

spleen (splēn)
n.
A large, highly vascular lymphoid organ, lying to the left of the stomach below the diaphragm and serving to store blood, disintegrate old blood cells, filter foreign substances from the blood, and to produce lymphocytes.

spleen in Science
spleen
  (splēn)   
An organ in vertebrate animals that in humans is located on the left side of the abdomen near the stomach. The spleen is mainly composed of lymph nodes and blood vessels. It filters the blood, stores red blood cells (erythrocytes) and destroys old ones, and produces white blood cells (lymphocytes).
spleen in Culture

spleen definition


An organ in the lymphatic system, in the upper left part of the abdomen, that filters out harmful substances from the blood. The spleen also produces white blood cells, removes worn-out red blood cells from circulation, and maintains a reserve blood supply for the body.

Idioms and Phrases with spleen

spleen

see: vent one's spleen