goitre

/ ˈɡɔɪtə /

noun

1. pathol a swelling of the thyroid gland, in some cases nearly doubling the size of the neck, usually caused by under- or overproduction of hormone by the gland

Derived Forms

• ˈgoitred, adjective
• ˈgoitrous, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of goitre¹

C17: from French goitre, from Old French goitron, ultimately from Latin guttur throat

Example Sentences

Here and there we passed Cszeks and Slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalent.

From Literature

Hernia, goitre and the flowering boil Lie bare beneath his hands, for ever bare.

From The Guardian

His self-esteem swelled, a goitre of patriotic pride.

From The Guardian

By the early 1930s international Shanghai was, as Paul French puts it, “a festering goitre of badness”.

From Economist

Male vanity, this perfumed albatross that men must hide beneath their blazers like a goitre for fear of seeming vulnerable, but with a gravitational pull so strong it leads them to organise speeches at sweet little places like the Palace of Versailles.

From The Guardian