tonsil
Meaning of tonsil: Tonsil most often refers to the palatine tonsils, paired lymphoid masses at the back of the mouth that help screen inhaled and swallowed material.
Definition of tonsil
A tonsil is a mass of lymphoid tissue, the same type of tissue that makes up lymph nodes, located at the back of the throat. The term most commonly refers to the palatine tonsils, the paired, oval masses visible on either side of the throat when the mouth is opened wide.
Several other tonsils exist as well, including the adenoid, also called the pharyngeal tonsil, positioned higher behind the nose, and the lingual tonsil, at the base of the tongue. Together with the palatine tonsils, these form a ring of lymphoid tissue surrounding the entrance to the throat.
Positioned at the crossroads of the airway and digestive tract, the tonsils help the immune system encounter and respond to inhaled and swallowed organisms. Tonsils can become inflamed and enlarged, a condition called tonsillitis, and are sometimes removed surgically when they cause recurrent infection or contribute to airway obstruction during sleep.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Examination revealed enlarged tonsils with surface exudate consistent with tonsillitis.
Good to know
Tonsil without further specification generally refers to the palatine tonsils visible at the back of the mouth, though the adenoid and lingual tonsil are separate, less visible tonsils that can be involved in similar conditions.
Word origin
Where “tonsil” comes from
Formed from Latin tonsillae, the plural term for these paired masses, of uncertain further origin.