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Glite Dictionary
suprarenal gland

suprarenal gland

6.7
A gland above each kidney that makes hormones, also called the adrenal gland
  • noun
  • /ˌsuːprəˈriːnəl ɡlænd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : glándula suprarrenal
  • The suprarenal gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism and stress responses.

Examples

  • Surgeons carefully removed the tumor from the left suprarenal gland during the operation.

  • The suprarenal... glands... Are above the kidneys, and the arteries --

    Gross Anatomy (1989)

  • That's material we covered from -- suprarenal glands.

    Gross Anatomy (1989)

  • The suprarenal glands, Mr. Schreiner.

    Gross Anatomy (1989)

  • Suprarenal glands receive arteries from 3 sources.

    Gross Anatomy (1989)

  • The function of the suprarenal glands is vital to maintaining hormonal balance in the body.

Synonyms

adrenal
vssuprarenal gland
  • Specialized
9 5.3

A small gland above the kidney that makes hormones like adrenaline and cortisol

is the more formal anatomical term rather than the short common form
adrenal gland
vssuprarenal gland
  • Specialized
7 3.7

A small gland above the kidneys that makes hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol

is the Latin-derived anatomical term used in formal contexts

Surface Forms

suprarenal gland singular
suprarenal glands plural

Morphology

suprarenal + gland

The phrase is fully compositional: 'suprarenal' is formed from supra- ('above') + renal ('kidney'), and 'gland' denotes an organ that secretes hormones, so the meaning 'gland located above the kidney' follows directly from the parts. This medical formation is also cross-linguistically regular (e.g., suprarenal/surrénale/adrenal), making it predictable for a learner who knows the constituent elements.

Etymology

Suprarenal gland comes from the parts supra ('above') and renal ('kidney'), so it literally means the gland that sits above the kidney. That's why it refers to the same gland often called the 'adrenal gland'.