tonsil

UK: /ˈtɒnsəl/ US: /ˈtɑnsəl/ ,(ton′səl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ton•sil /ˈtɑnsəl/   n. [countable]

1. Anatomy a mass of soft, pink tissue on each side of the throat:
   The doctor asked him to open his mouth and say "Aah'' while she looked at his tonsils.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ton•sil  (ton′səl), n. [Anat.]

1. a prominent oval mass of lymphoid tissue on each side of the throat.

• Latin tōnsillae (plural) the tonsils
• 1595–1605;

ton′sil•lar, ton′sil•ar, ton•sil•lar•y (ton′sə ler′ē), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tonsil / ˈtɒnsəl/ noun

1. Also called: palatine tonsil either of two small masses of lymphatic tissue situated one on each side of the back of the mouth

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin tōnsillae (pl) tonsils, of uncertain origin

ˈtonsillary adjective