# tonsil

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɒn.səl/ · frequency rank #63,315

## Definitions
1. Ellipsis of palatine tonsil.
2. Any of various small masses of lymphoid tissues.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French tonsille or Latin tonsillae (“the tonsils in the throat”, plural). First attested in the late 16th century,

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tonsil