noun · verb · 12 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.
splēn
/spliːn/
rhymes with -iːn
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S P L IY1 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the left upper abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a reservoir of blood, and produces lymphocytes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: anatomy, immunology, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A bad mood; spitefulness. Compare gall.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
Qualifier: except in the set phrase "to vent one's spleen"
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, rare, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To dislike.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To annoy or irritate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To complain; to rail; to vent one's spleen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To remove the spleen, or, by extension, to gore.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To excise or remove.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
a large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lien
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: lymphatic tissue, lymphoid tissue
12
noun
Meaning 12
a feeling of resentful anger
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: irascibility, short temper, quick temper
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bad temper, ill temper
History
Etymology
From Middle English splene, splen, from Anglo-Norman espleen and Old French esplein, esplen, from Latin splēn (“milt”), from Ancient Greek σπλήν (splḗn, “the spleen”). Doublet of lien. Partially displaced the native English term milt.
Across languages
Translations
187 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
milt
— organ
Ahtna:
cʼetaeleʼ
— organ
Albanian:
shpretkë
— organ
Southern Altai:
телӱӱн
(telüün)
— organ
Southern Altai:
кӧк буур
(kök buur)
— organ
Chungli Ao:
tepa
— organ
Arabic:
طِحَال
(ṭiḥāl)
— organ
Arabic:
طحال
(ṭuḥāl)
— organ
Arabic:
طحال
(ṭuḥāl)
— organ
Armenian:
փայծաղ
(pʻaycaġ)
— organ
Old Armenian:
փայծաղն
(pʻaycałn)
— organ
Asturian:
bazu
— organ
Azerbaijani:
dalaq
— organ
West Coast Bajau:
kura'
— organ
Bashkir:
талаҡ
(talaq)
— organ
Basque:
bare
— organ
Belarusian:
селязёнка
(sjeljazjónka)
— organ
Bengali:
প্লীহা
(pliha)
— organ
Bhojpuri:
तिल्ली
(tillī)
— organ
Bulgarian:
дала́к
(dalák)
— organ
Bulgarian:
сле́зка
(slézka)
— organ
Burmese:
သရက်ရွက်
(sa.rak-rwak)
— organ
Buryat:
дэлюун
(deljuun)
— organ
Catalan:
melsa
— organ
Chichewa:
kapamba
— organ
Chinese Cantonese:
脾臟 /脾脏
(pei4 zong6)
— organ
Chinese Mandarin:
脾臟 /脾脏
(pízàng)
— organ
Chuvash:
сула
(sula)
— organ
Cornish:
felgh
— organ
Czech:
slezina
— organ
Danish:
milt
— organ
Daur:
delukin
— organ
Dhivehi:
ހުންކޮށި
(hun̊koṣi)
— organ
Dutch:
milt
— organ
Egyptian:
M22-M22-Sm-m-F51
(nnšm)
— organ
Erzya:
шечей
(šečej)
— organ
Esperanto:
lieno
— organ
Estonian:
põrn
— organ
Evenki:
ӣлэн
(īlən)
— organ
Evenki:
дэлкин
(dəlkin)
— organ
Faroese:
milti
— organ
Faroese:
milt
— organ
Finnish:
perna
— organ
French:
rate
— organ
Galician:
bazo
— organ
Galician:
paxarela
— organ
Georgian:
ელენთა
(elenta)
— organ
German:
Milz
— organ
Greek:
σπλην
(splin)
— organ
Greek:
σπλήνα
(splína)
— organ
Ancient Greek:
σπλήν
(splḗn)
— organ
Cappadocian Greek:
πεϊσάχι
(peïsáchi)
— organ
Hadza:
puche
— organ
Hanunoo:
anarip
— organ
Hebrew:
טחול
(tkhol)
— organ
Hindi:
तिल्ली
(tillī)
— organ
Hindi:
प्लीहा
(plīhā)
— organ
Hindi:
पिलई
(pilaī)
— organ
Hindi:
तिहाल
(tihāl)
— organ
Hungarian:
lép
— organ
Hunsrik:
Mils
— organ
Icelandic:
milta
— organ
Ido:
spleno
— organ
Indonesian:
limpa
— organ
Indonesian:
kura
— organ
Indonesian:
lien
— organ
Inuktitut:
ᒪᔅᓴᒃ
(massak)
— organ
Irish:
liathán
— organ
Italian:
milza
— organ
Italian:
splene
— organ
Japanese:
脾臓
(hizō)
— organ
Jarai:
la
— organ
Javanese:
ꦭꦶꦩ꧀ꦥ
(limpa)
— organ
Kalmyk:
делүн
(delün)
— organ
Kapampangan:
lape
— organ
Kazakh:
көк бауыр
(kök bauyr)
— organ
Khmer:
កណ្ដុក
(kɑɑkɑndok)
— organ
Khmer:
ផាល
(phaal)
— organ
Korean:
지라
(jira)
— organ
Central Kurdish:
سپڵ
(spill)
— organ
Northern Kurdish:
sipil
— organ
Kyrgyz:
көк боор
(kök boor)
— organ
Lao:
ມ້າມ
(mām)
— organ
Latin:
liēn
— organ
Latvian:
liesa
— organ
Laz:
ფანწალა
(panǯala)
— organ
Lithuanian:
blužnis
— organ
Luxembourgish:
Mëlz
— organ
Macedonian:
слезина
(slezina)
— organ
Malay:
limpa
— organ
Malay:
pelih
— organ
Malay:
kura
— organ
Malayalam:
പ്ലീഹ
(plīha)
— organ
Maltese:
milsa
— organ
Manchu:
ᡩᡝᠯᡳᡥᡠᠨ
(delihun)
— organ
Manx:
ahlea
— organ
Māori:
kōateate
— organ
Māori:
mahara
— organ
Marathi:
प्लीहा
(plīhā)
— organ
Marshallese:
aj
— organ
Central Melanau:
atai besi
— organ
Middle English:
milte
— organ
Mòcheno:
schmilz
— organ
Mongolian:
дэлүү
(delüü)
— organ
Navajo:
atélí
— organ
Norman:
rate
— organ
Norwegian Bokmål:
milt
— organ
Norwegian Nynorsk:
milt
— organ
Occitan:
mèlsa
— organ
Old English:
milte
— organ
Ossetian:
фарсылӕвзаг
(farsylævzag)
— organ
Pangasinan:
pali
— organ
Persian:
طحال
(tahâl)
— organ
Persian:
اسپرز
(esporz)
— organ
Persian:
سپرز
(seporz)
— organ
Persian:
اسبل
(esbol)
— organ
Middle Persian:
𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭫𐭩
(spul)
— organ
Middle Persian:
𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭫𐭰
(spurz)
— organ
Piedmontese:
milsa
— organ
Plautdietsch:
Miltz
— organ
Pohnpeian:
ehtik
— organ
Polish:
śledziona
— organ
Portuguese:
baço
— organ
Quechua:
k'ayrapin
— organ
Romanian:
splină
— organ
Russian:
селезёнка
(selezjónka)
— organ
Serbo-Croatian:
слезѝна
— organ
Serbo-Croatian:
слезѐна
— organ
Serbo-Croatian:
slezìna
— organ
Serbo-Croatian:
slezèna
— organ
Sicilian:
meusa
— organ
Slovak:
slezina
— organ
Slovene:
vranica
— organ
Spanish:
bazo
— organ
Sundanese:
kawaya
— organ
Swahili:
wengu
— organ
Swedish:
mjälte
— organ
Tagalog:
pali
— organ
Tajik:
испурч
(ispurč)
— organ
Tajik:
сипурз
(sipurz)
— organ
Tamil:
மண்ணீரல்
(maṇṇīral)
— organ
Lower Tanana:
ch'etala'
— organ
Tarifit:
inarfeḍ
— organ
Tatar:
талак
(talaq)
— organ
Telugu:
ప్లీహము
(plīhamu)
— organ
Thai:
ม้าม
(máam)
— organ
Turkish:
dalak
— organ
Ottoman Turkish:
طالاق
(dalak)
— organ
Ottoman Turkish:
طحال
(tahal)
— organ
Ottoman Turkish:
سپرز
(süpürz)
— organ
Turkmen:
dalak
— organ
Ugaritic:
𐎉𐎈𐎍
(ṭḥl)
— organ
Ukrainian:
селезі́нка
(selezínka)
— organ
Urdu:
تللی
(tilī)
— organ
Uyghur:
تال
(tal)
— organ
Uzbek:
taloq
— organ
Vietnamese:
lách
— organ
Vietnamese:
lá lách
— organ
Volapük:
splen
— organ
Welsh:
dueg
— organ
Yakut:
таал
(taal)
— organ
Yiddish:
מילץ
(milts)
— organ
Northern Yukaghir:
льукульаайэ
(ļukuļaaje)
— organ
