Meanings
sweetbread1
plural sweetbreads
- The pancreas or thymus gland of an animal, especially a lamb or calf, as food.
The pancreas of an animal when cooked for consumption is known as a sweetbread.
2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 1771 more example
SWEETBREAD SANDWICH: Cook sweetbreads until tender. When cold, remove skin, chop fine, season with salt and pepper, add one cup of finely chopped celery, and a dash of mayonnaise dressing; spread on thin slices of lightly buttered white bread. Cover with another slice and garnish with an olive.
1909, Eva Greene Fuller, The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book: 400 Ways to Make a Sandwich, page 97Synonyms: gullet sweetbread, neck sweetbread, throat sweetbread
- Any of various other glands used as food, including the parotid gland, sublingual glands, ovaries, and testicles.
sweetbread2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe pancreas or thymus gland of an animal, especially a lamb or calf, as food.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sweetbread · noun
Apparently from sweet + bread, though the reason is not immediately evident. Possibly connected with Dutch zwezerik, whose etymology is also unclear.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πάγκρεας
- πάγκρεας (pánkreas)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Bulgarian момици
- момици (momici)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Catalan lletó
- lletópancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Dutch (thymus) zwezerik
- (thymus) zwezerikpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Finnish haima (pancreas), kateenkorva (thymus)
- haima (pancreas)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- kateenkorva (thymus)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
French (pancreas/thymus gland of calf/lamb) ris
- (pancreas/thymus gland of calf/lamb) rispancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
German Bries, Kalbsmilch
- Briespancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- Kalbsmilchpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- Milkepancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Greek γλυκάδι
- γλυκάδι (glykádi)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Irish briseán, briseán milis
- briseánpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- briseán milispancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- dúliapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Italian animelle
- animellepancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Japanese シビレ
- シビレ (shibire)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Norwegian Bokmål brissel, kalvebrissel
- brisselpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- kalvebrisselpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Persian خوشگوشت
- خوشگوشت (xoš-gušt)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Polish trzustka, grasica
- trzustkapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- grasicapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Portuguese moleja
- molejapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Romanian momiță
- momițăpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Russian сла́дкое мя́со, поджелу́дочная железа́
- сла́дкое мя́со (sládkoje mjáso)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- поджелу́дочная железа́ (podželúdočnaja železá)pancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Spanish molleja, lechecilla
- mollejapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
- lechecillapancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Swedish kalvbräss
- kalvbrässpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Turkish uykuluk
- uykulukpancreas or thymus gland of an animal as food
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sweetbread. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweetbread
“sweetbread.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweetbread. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sweetbread,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweetbread.
Source: sweetbread on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.