pancreas

2 definitions found

pancreas - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Pancreas \Pan"cre*as\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?; pa^s, pa^n, all +
     kre`as flesh, meat: cf. F. pancr['e]as.] (Anat.)
     The sweetbread, a gland connected with the intestine of
     nearly all vertebrates. It is usually elongated and
     light-colored, and its secretion, called the pancreatic
     juice, is discharged, often together with the bile, into the
     upper part of the intestines, and is a powerful aid in
     digestion. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus.
     [1913 Webster]

pancreas - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  pancreas
      n 1: a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the
           stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin