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Definition of "tonsil" [ton•sil]

  • A small oral mass of lymphoid tissue, especially either of two such masses embedded in the lateral walls of the opening between the mouth and the pharynx, of uncertain function, but believed to help protect the body from respiratory infections. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tonsil" in a sentence
  • "No longer; first base is today deep kissing, also known as tonsil hockey."
  • "And indeed, as Dr. Mackenzie freely remarks: "Of far graver, far-reaching and deeper significance are cases of infection in which life has doubtless been sacrificed by clinging to the lazy and stupefying delusion that the tonsil is the sole portal of poisoning.""
  • "Between the plica triangularis and the surface of the tonsil is a space known as the tonsillar sinus; in many cases, however, this sinus is obliterated by its walls becoming adherent."