pancreas
noun
pan·cre·as
| \ ˈpaŋ-krē-əs
, ˈpan-\
, ˈpan-\
Definition of pancreas
: a large lobulated gland of vertebrates that secretes digestive enzymes and the hormones insulin and glucagon
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Other Words from pancreas
pancreatic
\ ˌpaŋ-krē-ˈa-tik
, ˌpan- \
adjective
, ˌpan- \
adjective
Examples of pancreas in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The pancreas is deep inside the body, so early tumors can’t be seen or felt by health care providers during routine physical exams. — Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg was treated for pancreatic cancer this summer. Here's what we know," 26 Aug. 2019 The pancreas is an oblong organ that lies deep in the abdomen and is an integral part of both the digestive and endocrine system. — Elizabeth Landau, CNN, "Why pancreatic cancer is so deadly," 23 Aug. 2019 Preliminary autopsy reports indicated the couple had internal bleeding, including in their pancreases, and pulmonary edema. — Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News, "Dominican Republic's health ministry calls mysterious deaths 'fake news' as official lashes out in interview," 20 June 2019 To compensate, the pancreas creates even more insulin to try to overcome the resistance. — Colleen Stinchcombe, Woman's Day, "What's the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?," 10 Sep. 2018 Franklin’s kind is exceedingly rare: Neuroendocrine cancers comprise about 7% of cancers originating in the pancreas, according to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation . — Washington Post, "Aretha Franklin’s cancer doctors recall her grace, grit," 15 Aug. 2019 OpenAPS is an acronym for open automatic pancreas system. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Hacking diabetes: People break into insulin pumps as an alternative to costly innovations," 5 June 2019 In October last year, Novartis paid $3.9 billion for Advanced Accelerator Applications, which makes a radiopharmaceutical for a rare form of gut and pancreas cancer. — Denise Roland, WSJ, "Novartis CEO Bets on Cutting-Edge Science to Remake Drug Giant," 19 Nov. 2018 Only nine children have received a sole pancreas transplant, Kandaswamy said. — Wayne Drash, CNN, "The medicine keeping her alive was also killing her," 12 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pancreas.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pancreas
pancreas
noun
English Language Learners Definition of pancreas
: a large gland of the body that is near the stomach and that produces insulin and other substances that help the body digest food
See the full definition for pancreas in the English Language Learners Dictionary
pancreas
noun
pan·cre·as
| \ ˈpaŋ-krē-əs
\
\
Kids Definition of pancreas
: a large gland near the stomach that produces insulin and a fluid (
pancreatic juice
) with enzymes that aid digestion
pancreas
noun
pan·cre·as
| \ ˈpaŋ-krē-əs, ˈpan-
\
\
plural pancreases
also pancreata\ pan-ˈkrē-ət-ə
\
\
Medical Definition of pancreas
: a large lobulated gland that in humans lies in front of the upper lumbar vertebrae and behind the stomach and is somewhat hammer-shaped and firmly attached anteriorly to the curve of the duodenum with which it communicates through one or more pancreatic ducts and that consists of (1) tubular acini secreting digestive enzymes which pass to the intestine and function in the breakdown of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; (2) modified acinar cells that form islets of Langerhans between the tubules and secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon; and (3) a firm connective-tissue capsule that extends supportive strands into the organ
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