Peyer's patch
- noun
- /ˈpeɪərz pætʃ/
- Specialized
:
placa de Peyer
- The doctor explained that Peyer's patch is important for the development of the immune system in the gut.
Examples
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Peyer's patch play a crucial role in the immune response by monitoring intestinal bacteria and preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
-
These cells are a specialization of the mucosal epithelium that overlies the Peyer's patches, which act as conduits to the immune, lymphatic, and circulatory systems.
Academic text (2003) -
Did humans not have appendices, thymus glands, Peyer's patches, spleens, tonsils, and adenoids?
Blog text (14) -
In patients with certain gastrointestinal diseases, Peyer's patch can become enlarged and may require medical attention.
Synonyms
Small lumps of tissue in the lower intestine near where the small and large intestines meet
Surface Forms
Morphology
Peyer's + patch
This is an eponymous medical term (named after Peyer) where 'patch' only conveys a vague sense of a small spot; the specific meaning 'lymphoid nodules involved in immune responses' is specialized and not inferable from the constituents. A B1 learner who knows 'patch' and recognizes the possessive form would not be able to derive the anatomical/immunological sense without prior exposure, so it is opaque.
Etymology
Peyer's patch is named after a Swiss doctor, Johann Peyer, who first described small, oval clumps of tissue on the wall of the small intestine. The word patch helps you picture a small area of tissue, and because these spots help the body fight germs in the gut, today Peyer's patch means one of those little immune clumps in the small intestine.
