different between kidney vs pronephros

English

Etymology

From Middle English kednei, kidenei, from earlier kidn?re, kiden?re (“kidney”), of obscure origin and formation. Probably a compound consisting of Middle English *kid, *quid (“belly, womb”), from Old English cwiþ, cwiþa (“belly, womb, stomach”) + Middle English n?re (“kidney”), from Old English *n?ora (“kidney”), from Proto-Germanic *neurô (“kidney”), from Proto-Indo-European *neg??r- (“kidney”). If so, then related to Scots nere, neir (“kidney”), Saterland Frisian Njuure (“kidney”), Dutch nier (“kidney”), German Niere (“kidney”), Danish nyre (“kidney”), Norwegian nyre (“kidney”), Swedish njure (“kidney”), Ancient Greek ?????? (nephrós).

Alternate etymology traces the first element to Old English c?od, codd (“sack, scrotum”), from Proto-Germanic *keud? (“sack”) as the terms for testicle and kidney were often interchangeable in Germanic (compare Old High German nioro (“kidney", also "testicle”), Old Swedish vig-niauri (“testicle”). More at codpiece.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?dni/

Noun

kidney (plural kidneys)

1. An organ in the body that filters the blood, producing urine.
2. This organ (of an animal) cooked as food.
3. (figuratively, dated) Constitution, temperament, nature, type, character, disposition. (usually used of people)
   • 30th June, 1788, Robert Burns, letter to Mr Robert Ainslie

     Your poets, spendthrifts, and other fools of that kidney, pretend, forsooth, to crack their jokes on prudence.
4. (obsolete, slang) A waiter.

Synonyms

• rein
• nephros
• ren

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• renal
• suprarenal

Anagrams

• dinkey

English

Etymology

pro- +? nephros

Noun

pronephros (plural pronephroi or pronephroses)

1. (anatomy) A primitive kidney in the lamprey and similar animals, and in other vertebrate embryos

Synonyms

• pronephron
• protonephros