adenoid
/ˈæd.əˌnɔɪd/adjective, noun
adenoid is spelled A-D-E-N-O-I-D: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, adenoid means “Of or relating to lymphatic glands or lymphoid tissue” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in adenoid?
| Letters | 7: A-D-E-N-O-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 16 million words; the 119,826th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is adenoid?
Adenoid appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce adenoid?
- UK /ˈad.ɪn.ɔɪd/
- US /ˈæd.əˌnɔɪd/
- US /ˈædˌnɔɪd/
Adenoid has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-adenoid.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of adenoid
- adenoids plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adenoid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to lymphatic glands or lymphoid tissue.
- 2
Of or pertaining to the adenoids.
- 3
Relating to, affected with, or associated with abnormally enlarged adenoids.
noun
- 1
an abnormally enlarged mass of lymphatic tissue at the back of the pharynx, often obstructing the nasal and ear passages and hindering speaking and breathing in young children.
- 2
Such a mass when not abnormally enlarged, covered by ciliated epithelium and located in the roof and posterior wall of the nasopharynx at the back of the throat behind the uvula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adenoid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense folds of lymphatic tissue:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does adenoid come from?
Late 19th century borrowing from French adénoïde, from New Latin adenoīdēs, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓δενοειδής (ădenoeidḗs, “glandular”), from ᾰ̓δήν (ădḗn, “gland”) + -ο- (-o-) + -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-oid, -like”); equivalent to aden- + -oid. The noun is derived from ellipsis of tumeur adénoïde (“glandular tumor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).