sweetbread

[ sweet-bred ]

noun

1. Also called stomach sweetbread. the pancreas of an animal, especially a calf or a lamb, used for food.
2. Also called neck sweetbread, the thymus gland of such an animal, used for food.

sweetbread

/ ˈswiːtˌbrɛd /

noun

1. the pancreas ( stomach sweetbread ) or the thymus gland ( neck or throat sweetbread ) of an animal, used for food

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweetbread¹

First recorded in 1555–65; sweet + bread

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweetbread¹

C16: sweet + bread , perhaps from Old English brǣd meat; related to Old Saxon brādo ham, Old High German brāt, Old Norse brāth

Example Sentences

What about the patient who eats several eggs or consumes a sweetbread or other nuclein-containing articles of diet?

From Project Gutenberg

And yet she had done her best, and placed before him a sweetbread and dish of sea-kale that ought to have made him enthusiastic.

From Project Gutenberg

The thymus gland, which lies near the heart and is often called the heart sweetbread, is the best one.

From Project Gutenberg

The pancreas, which is the stomach sweetbread, is used less often than the others.

From Project Gutenberg

The thyroid gland lies in the throat and is called the throat sweetbread.

From Project Gutenberg