kidney
pronunciation
How to pronounce kidney in British English:
UK [ˈkɪdni]
How to pronounce kidney in American English:
US [ˈkɪdni]
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- Noun:
- either of two bean-shaped excretory organs that filter wastes (especially urea) from the blood and excrete them and water in urine; urine passes out of the kidney through ureters to the bladder
Word Origin
- kidney
- kidney: [14] The origins of kidney are a matter of guesswork rather than certain knowledge. Probably the most widely accepted theory is that the -ey element represents ey, the Middle English word for ‘egg’, in allusion to the shape of the kidneys. The first syllable is more problematical, but one possible source is Old English cwith ‘womb’ or the related Old Norse kvithr ‘belly, womb’, in which case kidney would mean etymologically ‘belly-egg’.=> egg
- kidney (n.)
- early 14c., of unknown origin, originally kidenere, perhaps a compound of Old English cwið "womb" (see bowel) + ey "egg" (see egg (n.)) in reference to the shape of the organ. Figurative sense of "temperament" is from 1550s. Kidney bean is from 1540s, so called for its shape.
Example
- 1. He was given drugs to prevent kidney damage .
- 2. Some even require hospitalization or wind up with kidney failure .
- 3. However , acute kidney failure may be reversible .
- 4. He is being treated for acute respiratory syndrome and kidney failure .
- 5. Acute kidney failure can be fatal and requires intensive treatment .