noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈnɛ.fɹɒn/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈnɛˌfɹɑn/
CMU ARPABET:N EH1 F R AA0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, which filters the blood in order to regulate chemical concentrations, and thereby produces urine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
any of the small tubules that are the excretory units of the vertebrate kidney
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: uriniferous tubule
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: tubule
History
Etymology
From Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós, “kidney”) + -on.
Across languages
Translations
23 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
وَحْدَة أُنْبُوبِيَّة كُلْوِيَّة
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Arabic:
كُلْيُون
(kulyūn)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Arabic:
نِيفْرُون
(nefron, nefrōn)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Catalan:
nefró
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Chinese Mandarin:
腎單位 /肾单位
(shèndānwèi)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Chinese Mandarin:
腎元 /肾元
(shènyuán)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Czech:
nefron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Finnish:
nefroni
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
French:
néphron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
German:
Nephron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Hungarian:
nefron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Interlingua:
nephron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Italian:
nefrone
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Latin:
nephronum
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Polish:
nefron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Portuguese:
néfron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Portuguese:
nefrónio
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Romanian:
nefron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Russian:
нефрон
(nefron)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Slovak:
nefrón
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Spanish:
nefrona
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Swedish:
nefron
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Thai:
หน่วยไต
(nùai-dtai)
— basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
