- either of two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdominal cavity in humans, one on each side of the spinal column. They maintain water and electrolyte balance and filter waste products from the blood, which are excreted as urineRelated adjective(s): renal
- the corresponding organ in other animals
- the kidneys of certain animals used as food
- class, type, or disposition (esp in the phrases of the same or a different kidney)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
kid•ney /ˈkɪdni/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -neys.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Anatomyone of a pair of organs in the rear of the upper abdomen that filter waste from the blood, produce uric acid or urea, and maintain water balance in the body.
kid•ney
(kid′nē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -neys.
kid′ney•like′, adj.
- Anatomyeither of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.
- Zoologya corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.
- Foodthe meat of an animal's kidney used as food.
- constitution or temperament:He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.
- kind, sort, or class:He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.
- 1275–1325; Middle English kidenei, kidenere (singular), kideneres, kideneren (plural); origin, originally uncertain; perh. a compound based either on nere (singular), neres (plural) kidney (Old English *nēore; compare Old High German nioro, Old Norse nȳra); or ei (singular), eiren (plural) egg1, Old English ǣg (singular), ǣgru (plural) (by association with the organ's shape); for the first element compare dialect, dialectal kid pod (akin to cod2)
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
kidney /ˈkɪdnɪ/ n
'kidney' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
adrenal gland
- borlotti bean
- calyx
- cannellini bean
- cashew
- cortex
- dialyser
- donor
- floating
- glomerulus
- haemodialysis
- hantavirus
- kidney bean
- kidney machine
- kidney stone
- leptospirosis
- lithotripsy
- loop
- nephridium
- nephrite
- nephritis
- nephro-
- nephrology
- nephroscope
- organ
- phenacetin
- phthalate
- pudding
- pyelitis
- renal
- renal pelvis
- reni-
- reniform
- riboflavin
- saxifrage
- suprarenal
- tubule
- ureter
- vasopressin
- vetch
- aldosterone
- aminoaciduria
- artificial kidney
- blackwater fever
- bun
- chili con carne
- collecting tubule
- convoluted tubule
- dialysis
- emunctory