parotid

American  

[puh-rot-id] / pəˈrɒt ɪd /

noun

1. Also called parotid gland.  a salivary gland situated at the base of each ear.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated near either parotid.

parotid British  

/ pəˈrɒtɪd /

adjective

1. relating to or situated near the parotid gland

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noun

1. See parotid gland

Other Word Forms

• parotidean adjective
• postparotid adjective

Etymology

Origin of parotid

1680–90; < New Latin parōtid- (stem of parōtis ) parotid gland; Latin: tumor near the ear < Greek parōtís. See par-, oto-

Example Sentences

She was told she required parotidectomy surgery which involved removing part of a major salivary gland in her cheek called the parotid gland.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025

The warty amphibian can secrete a milky poison from the parotid glands behind its shoulders that can be fatal to wildlife.

From Washington Post • Jan. 20, 2023

Billows has been undergoing treatment for parotid salivary cancer since November 2020 and wants to spend more time with his family.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2022

Gwynn was found in 2010 to have cancer in his right parotid salivary gland.

From New York Times • May 23, 2016

After a period of incubation, which lasts from two to three weeks, there is fever, pain under one ear, and the parotid gland swells.

From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin