From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
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.
[1913 Webster]
{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.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
Thymus
n 1: large genus of Old World mints: thyme [syn: {Thymus},
{genus Thymus}]
2: a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that
produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity;
atrophies with age [syn: {thymus gland}, {thymus}]
From German-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.3 [fd-deu-eng]:
Thymus /tyːmus/
thymus
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