any of the glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream, including the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, testes, ovaries, and the pancreatic islets of Langerhans
Also called: ductless gland
endocrine gland in American English
noun
any of various glands, as the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary glands, that secretecertain substances or hormones directly into the blood or lymph; ductless gland
Word origin
[1910–15]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: carbon cycle, grass roots, homeroom, insulin, payoff
Examples of 'endocrine gland' in a sentence
endocrine gland
Fat is now understood to be a huge endocrine gland, potentially triggering ageing inflammatory responses in the body.