gland, secretory organ, secretor, secreter
(noun) any of various organs that synthesize substances needed by the body and release it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream
Source: WordNet® 3.1
gland (plural glands)
(zoology) An organ that synthesizes a substance, such as hormones or breast milk, and releases it, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).
(botany) A secretory structure on the surface of an organ.
• See also gland
19th century.
gland (plural glands)
(mechanical) A compressable cylindrical case and its contents around a shaft where it passes through a barrier, intended to prevent the passage of a fluid past the barrier, such as
A gland used around a ship’s propeller shaft.
A gland used around a tap, valve or faucet.
Source: Wiktionary
Gland, n. Etym: [F. glande, L. glans, glandis, acorn; akin to Gr. Parable, n.]
1. (Anat.) (a) An organ for secreting something to be used in, or eliminated from, the body; as, the sebaceous glands of the skin; the salivary glands of the mouth. (b) An organ or part which resembles a secreting, or true, gland, as the ductless, lymphatic, pineal, and pituitary glands, the functions of which are very imperfectly known.
Note: The true secreting glands are, in principle, narrow pouches of the mucous membranes, or of the integument, lined with a continuation of the epithelium, or of the epidermis, the cells of which produce the secretion from the blood. In the larger glands, the pouches are tubular, greatly elongated, and coiled, as in the sweat glands, or subdivided and branched, making compound and racemose glands, such as the pancreas.
2. (Bot.) (a) A special organ of plants, usually minute and globular, which often secretes some kind of resinous, gummy, or aromatic product. (b) Any very small prominence.
3. (Steam Mach.)
Definition: The movable part of a stuffing box by which the packing is compressed; -- sometimes called a follower. See Illust. of Stuffing box, under Stuffing.
4. (Mach.)
Definition: The crosspiece of a bayonet clutch.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
19 June 2025
(noun) the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage; “his roots in Texas go back a long way”; “he went back to Sweden to search for his roots”; “his music has African roots”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
