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Definition of thymus
thymus
/ˈθaɪ.məs/
thy · mus
Plural:thymuses
•Adjective:thymic
thymus Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
9
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
thymus Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system situated in the upper chest or neck of vertebrates, responsible for the maturation of T cells.
Example
"The thymus is most active during childhood and gradually shrinks and is replaced by fat tissue after puberty."
2
The thymus gland of a young animal, such as a calf or lamb, prepared and served as food.
Example
"The chef prepared a delicate appetizer featuring roasted veal thymus in a rich brown butter sauce."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for thymus• Rhymes for thymus
Word Origin & Etymology
From New Latin thymus, originating from Ancient Greek θύμος (thúmos, 'thymus gland'), perhaps so named because its warty shape resembled a bunch of thyme (θύμον, thúmon).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Thymus. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/thymus