膵

cuì

月 + 萃

Definitions

cuì pancreas

Etymology

About

膵 (cuì) is a relatively modern character coined to denote the pancreas, the fleshy, glandular organ in the abdomen, in anatomical and medical contexts. It is structured as a phono-semantic compound: the left radical 月 (the 'flesh' radical, a form of 肉) indicates a relation to the body or organs, while the right component 萃 (cuì) provides the pronunciation and originally means a gathering or collection. Unlike many classical characters that describe visible external features or culturally significant concepts, 膵 was created to translate Western anatomical terms.

Related Characters

Component: 月