kidney

kidney
kidney (n.) early 14c., of unknown origin, originally kidenere, perhaps a compound of O.E. cwið "womb" (see BOWEL (Cf. bowel)) + ey "egg" (see EGG (Cf. egg) (n.)) in reference to the shape of the organ. Figurative sense of "temperament" is from 1550s. Kidney bean is from 1540s, so called for its shape.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Kidney — Kid ney (k[i^]d n[y^]), n.; pl. {Kidneys} (k[i^]d n[i^]z). [OE. kidnei, kidnere, from Icel. koi[eth]r belly, womb (akin to Goth. gipus, AS. cwi[thorn] womb) + OE. nere kidney; akin to D. nier, G. niere, OHG. nioro, Icel. n[=y]ra, Dan. nyre, Sw.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • kidney — ► NOUN (pl. kidneys) 1) each of a pair of organs in the abdominal cavity, with one concave and one convex side, that excrete urine. 2) the kidney of a sheep, ox, or pig as food. 3) archaic nature or temperament. ORIGIN of obscure origin …   English terms dictionary

  • kidney — [kid′nē] n. pl. kidneys [ME kidenei < ?] 1. either of a pair of glandular organs in the upper abdominal cavity of vertebrates, which separate water and waste products of metabolism from the blood and excrete them as urine through the bladder 2 …   English World dictionary

  • kidney — kind, sort, *type, nature, description, character, stripe, ilk …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • kidney — has the plural form kidneys …   Modern English usage

  • Kidney — For other uses, see Kidney (disambiguation). Kidney Human kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed Latin ren Artery …   Wikipedia

  • kidney — kidneylike, adj. /kid nee/, n., pl. kidneys. 1. Anat. either of a pair of bean shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands. 2. Zool. a… …   Universalium

  • Kidney — One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen which clear "poisons" from the blood, regulate acid concentration and maintain water balance in the body by excreting urine. The kidneys are part of the urinary… …   Medical dictionary

  • kidney — n. (pl. eys) 1 either of a pair of organs in the abdominal cavity of mammals, birds, and reptiles, which remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood and excrete urine. 2 the kidney of a sheep, ox, or pig as food. 3 temperament, nature, kind (a man… …   Useful english dictionary

  • kidney */ — UK [ˈkɪdnɪ] / US noun Word forms kidney : singular kidney plural kidneys 1) [countable] one of the two organs in your body that clean your blood and remove waste They had to remove his kidney. kidney failure/disease a kidney transplant 2)… …   English dictionary

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