Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
adrenal cortex

adrenal cortex

1 5.8
The outer layer of a small gland above the kidney that makes hormones that control energy use and sexual development
  • noun
  • /əˈdrɛnəl ˈkɔrˌtɛks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : corteza adrenal
  • Doctors often check the function of the adrenal cortex when investigating hormone imbalances.

Examples

  • The adrenal cortex produces important hormones that help regulate metabolism and stress response.

  • So there's a hormone known as aldosterone that's made in the adrenal cortex that promotes salt retention.

  • Damage to the adrenal cortex can lead to serious health issues, including hormonal deficiencies.

Surface Forms

adrenal cortex singular
adrenal cortices plural

Morphology

adrenal + cortex

The meaning 'the outer layer of the adrenal gland' is directly and compositionally derived from 'adrenal' (relating to the adrenal gland) + 'cortex' (outer layer). This anatomical naming pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the MWE meaning despite its technical register.

Etymology

Adrenal cortex comes from two Latin words: adrenal meaning 'near the kidney' and cortex meaning 'bark' or 'outer layer'. So the name pictures the gland's outer 'bark' next to the kidney, which is the part that makes important hormones.