*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gland

Late 17th century borrowing from French glande, alteration of Old French glandre, from Latin glandulae (“throat glands, tonsils”), plural of glandula (“a little acorn”), from glāns (“an acorn”) + -ula (diminutive nominal

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A specialized cell, group of cells, or organ of endothelial origin in the human or animal body that synthesizes a chemical substance, such as hormones or breast milk, and releases it, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). · A structure resembling a gland, especially a lymph node. · A secretory structure on the surface of an organ. · A stuffing box used to seal a rotating or reciprocating shaft against a fluid.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Late 17th century borrowing from French glande, alteration of Old French glandre, from Latin glandulae (“throat glands, tonsils”), plural of glandula (“a little acorn”), from glāns (“an acorn”) + -ula (diminutive nominal suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "*gʷelh₂-"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "glande"
      },
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        "3": "glandre"
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    },
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        "3": "-ula",
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        "pos2": "diminutive nominal suffix",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "glāns (“an acorn”) + -ula (diminutive nominal suffix)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "glande",
      "glande#French"
    ],
    [
      "glandre",
      "glandre#Old_French"
    ],
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      "glandulae",
      "glandulae#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "glandula",
      "glandula#Latin"
    ],
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      "glāns",
      "glans#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ula",
      "-ula#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A specialized cell, group of cells, or organ of endothelial origin in the human or animal body that synthesizes a chemical substance, such as hormones or breast milk, and releases it, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).",
        "A structure resembling a gland, especially a lymph node.",
        "A secretory structure on the surface of an organ.",
        "A stuffing box used to seal a rotating or reciprocating shaft against a fluid."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A compressable cylindrical case and its contents around a shaft where it passes through a barrier, intended to prevent the passage of a fluid past the barrier, used for example around a ship’s propeller shaft or around a tap, valve or faucet.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Early 19th century, probably from Scots glam (“vice, clamp”), probably from a variant of clam (“clam; clamp, vise”). Related to clamp.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionglamsco
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for gland →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z2xhbmQ