Meanings
nounapocrine gland (plural apocrine glands)
plural apocrine glands
- anatomyAny of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion.
At puberty, apocrine glands start producing a viscous pheromone-containing secretion, which is often processed by bacteria to create a strong aroma. These glands are confined to our armpits, nipples, and groin (guess what they are for?).
2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 5, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 大汗腺
- 大汗腺 (dàhànxiàn)any of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion
Finnish apokriininen rauhanen
- apokriininen rauhanenany of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion
French glande apocrine
- glande apocrineany of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion
German apokrine Drüse
- apokrine Drüseany of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion
Portuguese glândula apócrina
- glândula apócrinaany of several coiled, tubular glands that extrudes part of the cytoplasm as a secretion
Cite this entry
APA
apocrine gland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apocrine%20gland
MLA
“apocrine gland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apocrine%20gland. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apocrine gland,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apocrine%20gland.
Source: apocrine gland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.