parotid gland

British

noun

a large salivary gland, in man situated in front of and below each ear

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

parotid gland Scientific

/ pə-rŏt′ĭd /

Either of the pair of salivary glands situated below and in front of each ear.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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

From Washington Post

Radiation damage to the parotid glands can lead to long-term dryness of the mouth, and treatment plans designed to avoid the glands reduce the risk of damage.

From Nature

This is a result of the mumps virus causing the swelling and inflammation of one or both parotid glands, which sit in front of the ears.

From BBC

The disease is caused by a virus that infects and causes painful swellings in the parotid glands under the ears.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023