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eccrine gland
noun
variants
or eccrine sweat gland
: any of the rather small sweat glands that discharge an odorless watery fluid onto the surface of the skin, play an important role in thermoregulation, and are widely distributed across the body with the most dense concentrations on the palms, soles, and forehead compare apocrine gland
Examples of eccrine gland in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Your feet contain a high number of eccrine glands, which produce primarily odorless sweat.
—Korin Miller, Health, 11 July 2024
The glands on your dog’s paws and its nose are called eccrine glands, and all mammals have these, too.
—Bill Gifford, Men's Health, 12 June 2023
Most researchers agree with the premise that fur-loss and eccrine gland-gain coevolved for thermoregulation during human evolution.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 17 Jan. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eccrine gland.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1927, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near eccrine gland
Cite this Entry
“Eccrine gland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eccrine%20gland. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
eccrine gland
noun
: any of the rather small sweat glands that produce a fluid secretion without removing cytoplasm from the secreting cells and that are restricted to the human skin
called also eccrine sweat gland
More from Merriam-Webster on eccrine gland
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about eccrine gland
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