THYROID

Thy″roid (?), a. [[Gr. � shield-shaped; � a large, oblong shield (from � a door) + � form: cf. F. thyroïde, thyréoïde.]] 1. 1. Shaped like an oblong shield; shield-shaped; as, the thyroid cartilage.
2. 2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the thyroid body, thyroid cartilage, or thyroid artery; thyroideal.
Thyroid cartilage. See under Larynx. — Thyroid body, or Thyroid gland (Anat.), a glandlike but ductless body, or pair of bodies, of unknown function, in the floor of the mouth or the region of the larynx. In man and most mammals it is a highly vascular organ, partly surrounding the base of the larynx and the upper part of the trachea. — Thyroid dislocation (Surg.), dislocation of the thigh bone into the thyroid foramen. — Thyroid foramen, the obturator foramen.