The Liver Is the Only Organ That Regrows
The liver processes blood and produces bile. It is the only human internal organ that can regenerate substantial lost tissue.
The liver is the large organ that processes nutrients, filters blood and produces bile. It is the only internal human organ capable of regenerating substantial lost tissue: a donor can give away most of their liver and both halves will grow back to a functional size within weeks. Greek myth knew this, which is why Prometheus was punished by having his liver eaten daily and regrown each night. In medieval physiology, the liver rather than the heart was the seat of passion, which gives *lily-livered* for cowardly.
- A large internal organ. *Liver function.*
- As food. *Liver and onions.*
- Hepatic — the medical adjective. *Hepatic disease.*
- Lily-livered — cowardly. *Lily-livered.*
- Bile — what it produces. *Bile duct.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | liver | The liver. |
| Plural | livers | Two livers. |
| Adjective | hepatic | Hepatic function. |
| Compound | liverwurst | Liverwurst. |
| Old English | lifer | Liver. |
- The liver filters everything absorbed from the gut.Function.
- A living donor's liver regrows.Transplant.
- Lily-livered means cowardly.Idiom.
What the liver does
- Processes nutrients absorbed from the digestive system
- Produces bile to help digest fats
- Breaks down toxins including alcohol and drugs
- Stores glycogen and releases glucose as needed
- Makes clotting proteins essential to stopping bleeding
Old English *lifer*, from a Germanic root shared with German *Leber*, of uncertain earlier origin.
Can the liver really grow back?
Yes. It is the only human internal organ that regenerates substantial lost tissue, which makes living-donor transplants possible.
Why does lily-livered mean cowardly?
Medieval physiology placed courage in the liver. A pale liver was thought to mean a lack of it.