Kidney
/ˈkɪd.ni/noun
Either of a pair of organs in the lower back that filter waste from the blood and help regulate fluid balance.
Did you know?The exact origin of English *kidney* is uncertain, but it likely comes from a Germanic word related to a “belly,” showing how bluntly medieval speakers named body parts.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
cēac?
“An uncertain early form is attested only indirectly; the exact ancestral word is obscure.”
Late Old English / Early Middle English
English
kidenei / kideni
“A kidney, the internal organ that filters bodily waste.”
Middle English
English
kidnei
“The kidney, especially as a paired internal organ.”
Modern English
English
kidney
“The standard modern term for the organ.”