tonsil

Ellipsis of palatine tonsil.

Noun

  1. Ellipsis of palatine tonsil.
  2. Any of various small masses of lymphoid tissues.

Origin

Borrowed from French tonsille or Latin tonsillae (“the tonsils in the throat”, plural). First attested in the late 16th century,

Forms

tonsils

Related

tonsillar tonsillo- tonsill-

Derived

tonsil hockey tonsillectomy tonsillitis tonsillotomy tonsilotome tonsil stone tonsil tennis to the tonsils up to the tonsils