kidney

Meaning

Noun

• An organ in the body that filters the blood, producing urine.
• This organ (of an animal) cooked as food.
• Constitution, temperament, nature, type, character, disposition.
• A waiter.

Related

Similar words

• rein
• nephros
• ren

Origin

• From Middle English kednei, kidenei, from earlier kidnere, kidenere, of obscure origin and formation. Probably a compound consisting of Middle English *kid, *quid, from Old English cwiþ, cwiþa + Middle English nere, from Old English *nēora, from Proto-Germanic *neurô, from Proto-Indo-European *negʷʰrós. If so, then related to Scots nere, neir, Saterland Frisian Njuure ("kidney"), Dutch nier ("kidney"), German Niere ("kidney"), Danish nyre ("kidney"), Norwegian nyre ("kidney"), Swedish njure ("kidney"), Ancient Greek νεφρός.
• Alternate etymology traces the first element to Old English cēod, codd, from Proto-Germanic *keudō as the terms for testicle and kidney were often interchangeable in Germanic (compare Old High German nioro, Old Swedish vigniauri. More at codpiece.