spleen
In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the left upper abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a reservoir of blood, and produces lymphocytes.
Other meanings
A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment.
A bad mood; spitefulness. Compare gall.
A kind of
- lymphatic tissue
Related words
- antispleen
- spleenish
- unspleened
- sago spleen
- spleenful
- spleenless
- spleenlike
- spleenwort
- spleeny
- accessory spleen
- vent one's spleen
- spleen stone
Word history
From Ancient Greek "σπλήν" (the spleen).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “spleen” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.