thyroid

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈθaɪrɔɪd/ UK /ˈθaɪrɔɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #24509

Meanings

1

noun
an endocrine gland in the neck that produces hormones regulating metabolism, growth, and development

Blood tests showed that her thyroid was producing too little hormone.
2

adj
relating to the thyroid gland or its hormones and disorders

The doctor ordered further thyroid tests after reviewing the symptoms.
3

noun
the large shield-shaped cartilage forming the front and sides of the larynx

The thyroid cartilage protects the vocal folds within the larynx.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an endocrine gland in the... thyroid gland

2 adj · relating to the thyroid... thyroidal

3 noun · the large shield-shaped... thyroid cartilage

Word family

Derived forms thyroidalhyperthyroidhyperthyroidismhypothyroidhypothyroidism

Related forms endocrinethyroxinelarynx metabolism

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

thyroid gland
the hormone-producing gland situated near the base of the neck

Noun + noun

Etymology

From New Latin thyreoides, from Greek thyreoeides ("shield-shaped"), built from thyreos ("oblong shield") + -eides ("resembling"). The name first described the shield-shaped laryngeal cartilage; the nearby gland was later called the thyroid gland.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# thyroid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈθaɪrɔɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈθaɪrɔɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 24509

## Meanings
1. an endocrine gland in the neck that produces hormones regulating metabolism, growth, and development
2. relating to the thyroid gland or its hormones and disorders
3. the large shield-shaped cartilage forming the front and sides of the larynx

## Examples
- Blood tests showed that her thyroid was producing too little hormone.
- The doctor ordered further thyroid tests after reviewing the symptoms.
- The thyroid cartilage protects the vocal folds within the larynx.

## Synonyms
- thyroid gland
- thyroid cartilage

## Derived Forms
- thyroidal
- hyperthyroid
- hyperthyroidism
- hypothyroid
- hypothyroidism

## Related Forms
- endocrine
- thyroxine
- larynx
- metabolism

## Etymology
From New Latin thyreoides, from Greek thyreoeides ("shield-shaped"), built from thyreos ("oblong shield") + -eides ("resembling"). The name first described the shield-shaped laryngeal cartilage; the nearby gland was later called the thyroid gland.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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