Glands Are Named After Acorns
A gland is an organ that secretes substances. The Latin word behind it means a small acorn, after the shape of the tissue.
A gland is an organ that produces and releases a substance. The name is agricultural: Latin *glans* means an acorn, and *glandula* a little acorn, which is what early anatomists thought the small rounded lumps of glandular tissue resembled. The lymph nodes people call swollen glands are shaped exactly that way. Strictly, swollen glands in the neck are lymph nodes, which filter rather than secrete.
- A secreting organ. *The thyroid gland.*
- Swollen glands — usually lymph nodes. *Swollen glands.*
- Glandular — of glands. *Glandular fever.*
- Endocrine — releasing into the blood. *An endocrine gland.*
- Latin — *glans*, an acorn. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gland | A small gland. |
| Plural | glands | Sweat glands. |
| Adjective | glandular | Glandular tissue. |
| Latin | glans | An acorn. |
| Latin | glandula | A little acorn. |
- The thyroid gland regulates metabolism.Anatomy.
- He had swollen glands in his neck.Common but imprecise.
- Glans means acorn in Latin.Etymology.
Two kinds of gland
- Endocrine — releases hormones directly into the blood
- Exocrine — releases through a duct, onto a surface
- Thyroid, adrenal, pituitary — endocrine
- Sweat, salivary, tear — exocrine
- Pancreas — does both, which makes it unusual
French *glande*, from Latin *glandula*, a little acorn, a diminutive of *glans*, acorn.
Are swollen glands really glands?
Usually not. The lumps in the neck are lymph nodes, which filter lymph rather than secreting anything.
Why are glands named after acorns?
Early anatomists thought the small rounded lumps of glandular tissue looked like little acorns.