adenoid

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adenoid

/ˈad.ɪn.ɔɪd/ UK
/ˈæd.əˌnɔɪd/ US
/ˈædˌnɔɪd/ US

Where it comes from

Late 19th century borrowing from French adénoïde, from New Latin adenoīdēs, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓δενοειδής (ădenoeidḗs, “glandular”), from ᾰ̓δήν (ădḗn, “gland”) + -ο- (-o-) + -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-oid, -like”); equivalent to aden- + -oid. The noun is derived from ellipsis of tumeur adénoïde (“glandular tumor”).

adjective

not comparable, relational Of or relating to lymphatic glands or lymphoid tissue.
Similar: lymphoid
not comparable, relational Of or pertaining to the adenoids.
Similar: adenoidal
not comparable, relational Relating to, affected with, or associated with abnormally enlarged adenoids.

noun adenoids

an abnormally enlarged mass of lymphatic tissue at the back of the pharynx, often obstructing the nasal and ear passages and hindering speaking and breathing in young children.
plural normally Such a mass when not abnormally enlarged, covered by ciliated epithelium and located in the roof and posterior wall of the nasopharynx at the back of the throat behind the uvula.
Similar: Luschka's tonsil, nasopharyngeal tonsil, pharyngeal tonsil, third tonsil, tonsilla adenoidea, tonsilla pharyngealis

Similar: pharyngeal tonsil

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: pharyngeal tonsil

Translations

Every language

noun folds of lymphatic tissue

Español	adenoide
日本語	腺様 sen'yō
中文	腺樣體 /腺样体 xiànyàngtǐ, 增殖體 /增殖体 zēngzhítǐ, 咽扁桃體 /咽扁桃体 yān biǎntáotǐ
Português	adenoide
Français	adénoïde
Deutsch	Mandel, Nasenpolyp, Polyp
Italiano	adenoide
Română	adenoid
Русский	адено́ид adɛnóid

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MLA

"adenoid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/adenoid. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

adenoid. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/adenoid

Chicago

"adenoid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/adenoid.

BibTeX

@misc{adenoid_2026,
  title = {adenoid},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/adenoid},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}