pancreas

Term: pancreas

Origin: Anc Greek
παν/pan(=all)
+ κρέας/creas(=flesh, meat) presumably because of its fleshy consistency as this organ contains neither cartilage nor bone.

Coined : The pancreas was first identified for western civilization by Herophilus (335–280 BC) of Chalcedon. In 100 AD Aretaus described the term  diabetes.   Only a few hundred years later, Rufus of Ephesus (1st century AD), another Greek anatomist, gave the pancreas its name. In 1541 Andreas Vesalius first illustrated the pancreas and in 1642 Johann Wirsung  discovered the pancreatic duct.

Definition:

The pancreas is a gland that lies in the abdomen behind the stomach. It is part of the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates producing  enzymes that are released into the small intestine to help with digestion. It also produces hormones by clusters of cells called islets. such as insulin and glucagon, which help control the level of glucose in the blood.