Pancreas
//ˈpæŋ.kɹi.əs// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A gland near the stomach which secretes a fluid into the duodenum to assist with food digestion.
"Chronic pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is inflamed or swells for an extended period."
- 2 a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin wordnet
Example
More examples"The pancreas is a large gland that produces insulin."
Etymology
Existing in English since the sixteenth century: from Latin pancreas, from Ancient Greek πάγκρεας (pánkreas), from πᾶν (pân, “all”) (equivalent to English pan-) + κρέας (kréas, “flesh”).
Related phrases
More for "pancreas"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.