The Collaborative International Dictionary
thymus \thy"mus\ (th[imac]"m[u^]s), a. [NL., fr. Gr. qy`mos.] (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, the thymus gland. -- n. The thymus gland.
Thymus gland, or Thymus body, a ductless gland in the throat, or in the neighboring region, of nearly all vertebrates. In man and other mammals it is the throat, or neck, sweetbread, which lies in the upper part of the thorax and lower part of the throat. It is largest in fetal and early life, and disappears or becomes rudimentary in the adult. The thymus gland functions as the site of maturation of T-lymphocytes (T-cells), which confer cell-mediated immunity on the host organism; thus, removal or malfunciton of the thymus can lead to absence of cell-mediated immunity, and a consequent loss of resistance to infection.
WordNet
n. a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age [syn: thymus]
Usage examples of "thymus gland".
Occasionally in the past there were speculations as to the effect on adolescence, and the changes that took place at this time, of the thymus gland (from a Greek word of uncertain derivation).
The thymus gland lies in the upper chest, in front of the lungs and above the heart, extending upward into the neck.
Hans Weatheral, a youth of some ninety years and still adolescent in appearance through a hyper-active thymus gland, was one of her charges.
The heart, which looked like a strapped-down slab of red meat, the pathetically deflated lungs, the thymus gland—.
In particular, we lose intelligence with age because we were supposed to grow more brain tissue, when the thymus gland dissolves around age 42-45.