Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
tear gland

tear gland

2.7
A small part of the eye that makes tears
  • noun
  • /tɪr ɡlænd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : glándula lagrimal
  • If you're sensitive or bad at controlling your tear glands, you might want to prepare tissues or something.

Examples

  • It was as if the tear glands had loosened.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • He might even be fighting to keep his tear glands from giving him away.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • In women, he was learning, the tear glands of the eye attach not only to the nose but to the summer porches and gazebos of the ear, where language loiters.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • When I cried during the movie, my tear glands produced a lot of tears.

  • Her tear glands were overactive, causing her to tear up at the slightest emotion.

  • The doctor explained how the tear glands help keep our eyes moist and healthy.

Synonyms

lacrimal gland
vstear gland
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A small part near the top outer corner of the eye that makes tears

is a general term for the gland that produces and secretes tears
lachrymal gland
vstear gland
  • UK
8.4

A small part near the top outer corner of each eye that makes tears to keep the eye wet

is the same gland but described with tear protection and lubrication focus

Surface Forms

tear gland singular
tear glands plural

Morphology

tear + gland

The noun–noun compound is fully compositional: 'tear' (a drop from the eye) combined with 'gland' (an organ that secretes fluids) yields a gland that produces tears. This follows a common English compounding pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Tear gland names the small body part that makes 'tears' in the eye. It joins the words tear, meaning the salty water from your eye, and gland, meaning a small part that produces liquid, so the phrase simply means 'the part that produces tears'.