pancreas Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach; secretes pancreatic juice and insulin

NL., fr. Gr. , , all + flesh, meat: cf. F. pancréas.

(Anat.) The sweetbread, a gland connected with the intestine of nearly all vertebrates. It is usually elongated and light-colored, and its secretion, called the pancreatic juice, is discharged, often together with the bile, into the upper part of the intestines, and is a powerful aid in digestion. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus.