a large elongated glandular organ, situated behind the stomach, that secretes insulin and pancreatic juice
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
pan•cre•as /ˈpænkriəs, ˈpæŋ-/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Anatomya large gland located near the stomach, which releases digestive enzymes into the intestine and insulin into the bloodstream.
pan•cre•as
(pan′krē əs, pang′-),USA pronunciation n. [Anat., Zool.]
pan•cre•at•ic
(pan′krē at′ik, pang′-),USA pronunciation adj.
- Anatomy, Zoology, Zoologya gland, situated near the stomach, that secretes a digestive fluid into the intestine through one or more ducts and also secretes the hormone insulin. Cf. islet of Langerhans, pancreatic juice.
- Greek pánkreas sweetbread, equivalent. to pan- pan- + kréas flesh, meat
- Neo-Latin
- 1570–80;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'pancreas' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
- diabetes
- diastase
- digestive gland
- foregut
- glucagon
- guanine deaminase
- hemochromatosis
- hepatopancreas
- hepatoportal system
- insulin
- insulinoma
- islet of Langerhans
- islets of Langerhans
- lipase
- organotherapy
- pancreatectomy
- pancreatic juice
- pancreatin
- pancreatitis
- pancreato-
- pancreatotomy
- portal vein
- secretin
- sinusoid
- somatostatin
- steatorrhea
- sweetbread
- trypsin
- trypsinogen