noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Ellipsis of thymus gland (“A ductless gland, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue, located behind the top of the breastbone. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size. It plays an important role in the development of the immune system and produces lymphocytes.”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

   "For a very long time the role of the thymus in the body was a complete mystery."

2. 2
   a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

genus thymusthymus glandthymus gland

Example

More examples

"The thymus gland is in the chest between the lungs."

Etymology

From New Latin thymus, from Ancient Greek θύμος (thúmos, “warty excrescence, (also, as used by Galen) thymus gland”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.