spleens
noun
Meaning
- 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.
- (except in the set phrase "to vent one's spleen") A bad mood; spitefulness.
- A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim.
- Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections.
- A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment.
Etymology / origin
No prose etymology has been added yet.
No ancestor words have been linked yet.
Related words
Descendant words
No descendant words have been linked yet.