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variants
or thymus gland
plural thymuses also thymi
ˈthī-ˌmī
: a glandular structure of largely lymphoid tissue that functions especially in cell-mediated immunity by being the site where T cells develop, is present in the young of most vertebrates typically in the upper anterior chest or at the base of the neck, and gradually decreases in size and activity after puberty
Examples of thymus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scientists have grown mice containing cells from rat pancreases or thymuses, as well as rats that have pancreas or kidney cells from mice.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
The chef also knows not everybody leaps at the thought of thymus glands for dinner.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Your thymus is a gland that produces T cells, which are very important to your immune system.
—Bill Gifford, Scientific American, 31 July 2023
The process of culturing the thymus clears any of the donor's mature immune cells, leaving a scaffold of a thymus for the recipient to develop their own immune cells through.
—Tasnim Ahmed, CNN, 10 Mar. 2022
Eight years ago, her 15-year-old son was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the thymus, a small organ near the heart.
—Michael Phillis and Jim Salter, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023
According to Turek, Duke University is the only place in the Western Hemisphere that does cultured thymus transplants, in which donor thymus cells are incubated and grown in a lab before being implanted in the recipient.
—Tasnim Ahmed, CNN, 10 Mar. 2022
The lymph system is part of the immune system, which is made up of lymph, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, the spleen, thymus, tonsils and bone marrow.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 June 2023
The thymus, a strawberry-size gland in the chest, produces a steady stream of T cell precursors in our youth.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2013
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thymus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek thymos warty excrescence, thymus
First Known Use
1578, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing thymus
Dictionary Entries Near thymus
Cite this Entry
“Thymus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thymus. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
thymus
noun
thy·mus
ˈthī-məs
plural thymuses also thymi
-ˌmī
: a gland that is found in the young of most vertebrates usually in the chest near the heart, that before and for a time after birth has very important effects on the production and development of T cells, and that becomes less active and gradually shrinks or disappears with age
Medical Definition
thymus
noun
thy·mus
ˈthī-məs
variants
or thymus gland
plural thymuses also thymi
-ˌmī
: a glandular structure of largely lymphoid tissue that functions in cell-mediated immunity by being the site where T cells develop, that is present in the young of most vertebrates typically in the upper anterior chest or at the base of the neck, that arises from the epithelium of one or more embryonic branchial clefts, and that gradually decreases in size and activity after puberty
More from Merriam-Webster on thymus
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thymus
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