liver

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Before birth, the liver is the main site of EPO production; factors contributing to the liver-to-kidney switch are still elusive, but may provide clues to the tissue-specificity of EPO gene expression.

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Definitions (42)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. noun Anatomy A large, reddish-brown, glandular vertebrate organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity that secretes bile and is active in the formation of certain blood proteins and in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
  2. noun An organ in invertebrates that is similar to the vertebrate liver.
  3. noun The bile-secreting organ of an animal, used as food.
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Examples (50)

  • Commonly referred to as a "filter," the liver is actually more subtle and sophisticated than a passive filter. —  Find Free Articles - ArticlesBase
  • Before birth, the liver is the main site of EPO production; factors contributing to the liver-to-kidney switch are still elusive, but may provide clues to the tissue-specificity of EPO gene expression. —  CiteULike: Everyone's library
  • Such alarms did not agree with David's constitution, and he had felt so much nausea this evening that no doubt his liver was affected. —  Brother Jacob
  • The expression 'white-livered,' again, seems to indicate that the quality of courage was once held to be located in the liver, and the belief that the liver was the seat of life was perhaps held by the Gonds. —  The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume I (of IV)
  • Bah, your liver is asleep! —  The Seventh Noon
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Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English lifer; see leip- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. from live + -er.
  2. from Middle English liver, from Anglo-Saxon lifer = Dutch lever = Middle Low German lever = Old High German libara, lebara, lebera, lepera, Middle High German lebere, German leber = Icelandic lifr = Danish lever = Swedish lefver, liver. Cf. Russian liverŭ, the pluck of animals. Attempts have been made to identify liver, through the assumed earlier stems *lik, *lyēk, with L. jecur = Greek ἠπαρ (ἡπατ-) = Sanskrit yakrit, liver, the medial Tent, labial (v), in this view, having been developed from an orig. guttural (h). A similar change appears in the history of four, five, and prob. eleven and twelve, as well as in wolf.
  3. from Middle English liveren, leveren, from Old French livrer, French livrer = Spanish Portuguese librar = Italian liberare, liverare, livrare = Dutch leveren = German liefern = Danish levere = Swedish levera, deliver, give up, from Latin liberare, set free, liberate, deliver, Middle Latin also (with other forms librare, livrare, after Roman) give up: see liberate and deliver. Hence livery.
  4. apparently from live, or live, + -er; but perhaps, by apheresis, from deliver, adjective
 

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/ˈlɪvər/
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