Word
kidney
Phoneticskid·ney
US/ˈkɪdni/
UK/kˈɪdni/
Definitions
01body organ
n. one of the two organs in your lower back that filter waste from your blood to make urine.
n. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the abdominal cavity that filter blood and excrete waste as urine.
“Drinking plenty of water helps your kidneys function properly and stay healthy.”
“The patient was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease after routine blood tests revealed a significant decline in filtration efficiency.”
02food
n. the kidney of an animal, such as a cow or pig, eaten as food.
n. the organ of an animal used as an edible variety of offal.
“Steak and kidney pie is a traditional dish in British pubs.”
“The chef prepared a classic devilled kidney dish, sautéing the meat with a spicy mustard sauce and serving it on toasted brioche.”
Synonyms
03type or character
n. a person's character, nature, or kind.
n. a person's temperament, disposition, or specific type. Usually used in the phrase 'of that kidney'.
“He was a man of a very different kidney than his brother.”
“The headmaster was a stern fellow, and he expected his staff to be of the same disciplined kidney.”
Literary · Archaic
Usage
Typically appears in the idiomatic construction 'of that kidney' or 'of the same kidney'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“These are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash and symptoms of impaired kidney and liver functions.” “The Glasgow MP and kidney transplant surgeon told the BBC some elements of the transplant system were "world leading", such as being free at the point of care.” Etymology
From Middle English kedney, kydeney, from earlier kidnēre, kidenēre (“kidney”), of obscure origin and formation. Probably a compound consisting of Middle English kid, quid (“belly, womb”), from Old English cwiþ, cwiþa (“belly, womb, stomach”) + Middle English nēre (“kidney”), from Old English nēora (“kidney”), from Proto-West Germanic neurō, from Proto-Germanic neurô (“kidney”), from Proto-Indo-European negʷʰr- (“kidney”). If so, then related to dialectal English near (“kidney”), Scots nere, neir (“kidney”), Saterland Frisian Njuure (“kidney”), Dutch nier (“kidney”), German Niere (“kidney”), Danish nyre (“kidney”), Norwegian nyre (“kidney”), Swedish njure (“kidney”), Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós). Alternate etymology traces the first element to Old English cydde (“sack, belly, scrotum”), from Proto-Germanic kuddijā (“sack”) as the terms for testicle and kidney were often interchangeable in Germanic (compare Old High German nioro (“kidney", also "testicle”), Old Swedish vig-niauri (“testicle”)). More at codpiece.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.