gland

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ɡlænd/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænd

Late 17th century borrowing from French glande, alteration of Old French glandre, from Latin glandulae (“throat glands, tonsils”), plural of glandula (“a little acorn”), from glāns (“an acorn”) +‎ -ula (diminutive nominal suffix).

gland (plural glands)

1. (zoology) A specialized cell, group of cells, or organ of endothelial origin in the human or animal body that synthesizes a chemical substance, such as hormones or breast milk, and releases it, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).

   Meronyms: endocrine gland, exocrine gland

   Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:gland

   1. (anatomy) A structure resembling a gland, especially a lymph node.

      Hyponyms: lymph gland, Virchow's gland

2. (botany) A secretory structure on the surface of an organ.

• organ

Early 19th century, probably from Scots glam (“vice, clamp”), probably from a variant of clam (“clam; clamp, vise”). Related to clamp.

gland (plural glands)

1. (mechanics) A compressable cylindrical case and its contents around a shaft where it passes through a barrier, intended to prevent the passage of a fluid past the barrier, used for example around a ship’s propeller shaft or around a tap, valve or faucet.

• cable gland

• “gland”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “gland”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Borrowed from Latin glāns. Doublet of gla.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈɡlan]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian) [ˈɡlant]

gland m (plural glands)

1. (anatomy) glans

• gla
• glàndula

• “gland” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “gland”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “gland” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “gland” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Inherited from Old French glant, from Latin glandem.

• IPA^(key): /ɡlɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

gland m (plural glands)

1. acorn
2. (anatomy) glans

   Synonym: (dated) balane, balanus

   1. Ellipsis of gland du pénis (“glans penis”).
      • 1785, Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, translated by Austryn Wainhouse and Richard Seaver, Les 120 journées de Sodome, ou l'École du libertinage:

        Brise-cul, vingt-huit ans, l’air d’un satyre, son vit est tortu ; la tête ou le gland en est énorme : il a huit pouces trois lignes de tour, et le corps du vit huit pouces sur seize de long ; ce vit majestueux est absolument cambré.

        Bum-Cleaver, twenty-eight years old, has the look of a satyr; his majestic prick is bent saber fashion, its head, or glans, is enormous, it is eight and three-eighths inches in circumference and the shaft eight in length.

      Comeronyms: corps caverneux, corps spongieux, frein, prépuce

      Holonym: pénis

      les papules perlées du gland ― pearly penile papules

   2. Ellipsis of gland du clitoris (“glans clitoridis”).

      Comeronym: capuchon du clitoris

      Holonym: clitoris

   décalotter le gland ― to uncover the glans penis or glans clitoridis by pulling back the foreskin or clitoral hood

   recalotter le gland ― to cover again the glans penis or glans clitoridis by pulling forward the foreskin or clitoral hood

3. tassel
4. (vulgar, slang, of a person, usually male) prick, wanker, bell end

• glander
  • glandeur
• couronne du gland

• glande

• “gland”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• glant

From Latin glāndem, accusative of glāns.

gland m (plural glands)

1. acorn

Borrowed from French gland, from Latin glans, glandis. Doublet of the inherited ghindă.

gland n (plural glanduri)

1. (anatomy) glans
   1. Ellipsis of glandul penisului (“glans penis”).
   2. Ellipsis of glandul clitorisului (“glans clitoridis”).

   a decalota glandul ― to uncover the glans penis or glans clitoridis by pulling back the foreskin or clitoral hood

   a recalota glandul ― to cover again the glans penis or glans clitoridis by pulling forward the foreskin or clitoral hood