palatine tonsil
- noun
- /ˈpæləˌtaɪn ˈtɒnsəl/
- Specialized
:
amígdala palatina
- During the examination, the nurse noted that both palatine tonsils appeared swollen.
Examples
-
The second branchial pouch gives rise to the palatine tonsil and tonsillar fossa.
Academic text (2006) -
We believe that this is the first case of parapharyngeal lymphangioma reported in the literature, although Araujo in 1977 described a lymphangioma attached to the palatine tonsil by a stalk.
Academic text (1996) -
PTAs form in the area between the palatine tonsil and its capsule.
Academic text (2005) -
Six weeks later, however, the distance between the nearest portions of the palatine tonsils was still 0.6 cm.
Academic text (2004) -
By postoperative week 4, the distance between the nearest portions of the palatine tonsils was 0.6 cm; while this represented a 100% increase in the preoperative distance of 0.3 cm, it was not an extraordinary improvement.
Academic text (2004) -
The doctor explained that the palatine tonsils help protect the body from infections.
-
He had to get his palatine tonsils removed due to recurring throat infections.
Synonyms
38
3.0
A small part at the back of the mouth on each side that helps fight infection
A small soft part at the back of the mouth on each side that helps fight infection
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'palatine' means situated at or near the palate and 'tonsil' denotes a lymphatic tissue mass, so together they denote the tonsils located by the palate. Although the term is medical/register-specific, its meaning follows standard anatomical naming patterns found across languages, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The medical name palatine tonsil comes from words where palatine means 'palate', the roof of the mouth, and tonsil means 'small lump' or 'gland'. These are the small lumps at the sides of the throat near the palate, so the name tells you where they are.