Word parts
What it means
The gland sits below the Adam's apple, around the front of the windpipe. It uses iodine from food to make the hormones T4 and T3, which set how fast the body uses energy and affect heart rate, temperature, weight and mood. It also makes calcitonin, which helps lower blood calcium. The pituitary controls it with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
At a glance
| Spanish | glándula tiroides |
|---|---|
| Also written | thyroid glands |
Related terms
hypothyroidism
A condition in which the thyroid gland makes too little thyroid hormone.
hyperthyroidism
A condition in which the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone.
thyr/o
A word part that means the thyroid gland.
thyroid
Relating to the thyroid gland in the neck or the hormones it makes; often used alone to mean the gland itself.
parathyroid hormone
A hormone from the parathyroid glands in the neck that raises the calcium level in the blood.
goiter
An enlarged thyroid gland, seen or felt as a swelling at the front of the neck.