a glandular organ of vertebrates, consisting in humans of two lobes situated below the thyroid. In early life it produces lymphocytes and is thought to influence certain immunological responses. It atrophies with age and is almost nonexistent in the adult
Word origin
C17: from New Latin, from Greek thumos sweetbread
thymus in American English
(ˈθaɪməs)
noun
a gland in the upper thorax or neck of all vertebrates, involved in the production of lymphocytes: in humans, it is mostprominent at puberty, after which it disappears or becomes vestigial