thyroid
pronunciation
How to pronounce thyroid in British English:
UK [ˈθaɪrɔɪd]
How to pronounce thyroid in American English:
US [ˈθaɪˌrɔɪd]
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- Noun:
- located near the base of the neck
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the thyroid gland
- suggestive of a thyroid disorder
Word Origin
- thyroid
- thyroid: [18] The thyroid glands are situated in the neck, and they get their name ultimately from a comparison of the shape of the large oblong cartilage in front of the throat (which includes the Adam’s apple) with that of a door. The word comes via early modern French thyroide from Greek thuroidés ‘door-shaped’, an alteration of thureoeidés, which was derived from thúrā ‘door’ (a relative of English door). The term khóndros thureoiedés, literally ‘door-shaped cartilage’, was used by the Greek physician Galen for the ‘cartilage in front of the throat’ (now known in English as the thyroid cartilage).=> door, foreign
- thyroid (adj.)
- 1690s (in reference to both the cartilage and the gland), from Greek thyreoiedes "shield-shaped" (in khondros thyreoiedes "shield-shaped cartilage," used by Galen to describe the "Adam's apple" in the throat), from thyreos "oblong, door-shaped shield" (from thyra "door," from PIE *dhwer-; see door) + -eides "form, shape" (see -oid). The noun, short for thyroid gland, is recorded from 1849.
Example
- 1. Here 's how to improve your thyroid function .
- 2. Iodine-131 can accumulate in thyroid and cause cancer .
- 3. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located below your adam 's apple .
- 4. But people exposed to high levels of radioactive iodine can get thyroid cancer .
- 5. Physical causes range from thyroid issues or allergies to heart disease and stroke .