Thyroid

Thy"roid (?), a. [Gr. ? shield-shaped; ? a large, oblong shield (from ? a door) + ? form: cf. F. thyroïde, thyréoïde.] 1. Shaped like an oblong shield; shield-shaped; as, the thyroid cartilage.

2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the thyroid body, thyroid cartilage, or thyroid artery; thyroideal.

Thyroid cartilage. See under Larynx. - - Thyroid body, or Thyroid gland (Anat.), a glandlike but ductless body, or pair of bodies, of unknown function, in the floor of the mouth or the region of the larynx. In man and most mammals it is a highly vascular organ, partly surrounding the base of the larynx and the upper part of the trachea. -- Thyroid dislocation (Surg.), dislocation of the thigh bone into the thyroid foramen. -- Thyroid foramen, the obturator foramen.