Definitions for thymus
ˈθaɪ məsthy·mus

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Thymus, genus Thymusnoun

   large genus of Old World mints: thyme

2. thymus gland, thymusnoun

   a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. thymusnoun

   A ductless gland, consisting mainly of lymphatic tissue, located behind the top of the breastbone. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size. It plays an important role in the development of the immune system and produces lymphocytes.

2. Etymology: From the Modern thymus, from the.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Thymus

   The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or T cells mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. The thymus is located in the upper front part of the chest, in the anterior superior mediastinum, behind the sternum, and in front of the heart. It is made up of two lobes, each consisting of a central medulla and an outer cortex, surrounded by a capsule. The thymus is made up of immature T cells called thymocytes, as well as lining cells called epithelial cells which help the thymocytes develop. T cells that successfully develop react appropriately with MHC immune receptors of the body (called positive selection) and not against proteins of the body (called negative selection). The thymus is largest and most active during the neonatal and pre-adolescent periods. By the early teens, the thymus begins to decrease in size and activity and the tissue of the thymus is gradually replaced by fatty tissue. Nevertheless, some T cell development continues throughout adult life. Abnormalities of the thymus can result in a decreased number of T cells and autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 and myasthenia gravis. These are often associated with cancer of the tissue of the thymus, called thymoma, or tissues arising from immature lymphocytes such as T cells, called lymphoma. Removal of the thymus is called thymectomy. Although the thymus has been identified as a part of the body since the time of the Ancient Greeks, it is only since the 1960s that the function of the thymus in the immune system has become clearer.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. thymus

   The thymus is a small organ situated behind the sternum (breastbone) and between the lungs in the human body. It is an important part of the immune system, particularly during early life. This is where T cells, which play a crucial role in fighting infections, mature. However, the thymus starts to slowly shrink after puberty and is usually replaced by fat in older adults.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Thymusadjective

   of, pertaining to, or designating, the thymus gland

2. Thymusnoun

   the thymus gland

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Thymus

   The thymus is a specialized organ of the immune system. The thymus "educates" T-lymphocytes, which are critical cells of the adaptive immune system. Each T cell attacks a foreign substance which it identifies with its receptor. T cells have receptors which are generated by randomly shuffling gene segments. Each T cell attacks a different antigen. T cells that attack the body's own proteins are eliminated in the thymus. Thymic epithelial cells express major proteins from elsewhere in the body. First T cells undergo "Positive Selection" whereby the cell comes in contact with self-MHC expressed by thymic epithelial cells, those with no interaction are destroyed. Second, the T cell undergoes "Negative Selection" by interacting with thymic dendritic cell whereby T cells with high affinity interaction are eliminated through apoptosis, and those with intermediate affinity survive. The thymus is composed of two identical lobes and is located anatomically in the anterior superior mediastinum, in front of the heart and behind the sternum. Histologically, the thymus can be divided into a central medulla and a peripheral cortex which is surrounded by an outer capsule. The cortex and medulla play different roles in the development of T-cells. Cells in the thymus can be divided into thymic stromal cells and cells of hematopoietic origin. Developing T-cells are referred to as thymocytes and are of hematopoietic origin. Stromal cells include thymic cortical epithelial cells, thymic medullary epithelial cells, and dendritic cells.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Thymus

   thī′mus, n. a ductless gland near the root of the neck, of no known function, vestigial in adult man—that of veal and lamb called neck-sweetbread. [Gr. thymos, sweet thyme.]

Matched Categories

1. • Asterid Dicot Genus
   • Endocrine Gland

Anagrams for thymus »

1. mythus

How to pronounce thymus?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

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   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

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   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

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   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

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   Neerja

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   Zira

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   Oliver

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   Wendy

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   Fred

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   Tessa

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How to say thymus in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of thymus in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of thymus in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of thymus in a Sentence

1. Joseph Turek:

   It's the idea that the thymus is growing up in the same environment as the new transplanted organ is what allows it to recognize it as' self.' If you just use the thymus and didn't culture it, you already have cells that would start to reject.

2. Joseph Turek:

   That's one of the things we're looking at in the laboratory, as well as to find out what is our suitable donor age. We believe it's probably going to be somewhere in early adulthood to where you would still have a viable thymus for transplant purposes.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=thymus
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Thymus
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymus
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thymus
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=thymus
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=thymus