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Origin and history of renal

renal(adj.)

"of or pertaining to the kidneys," 1650s, from French rénal and directly from Late Latin renalis "of or belonging to kidneys," from Latin ren (plural renes) "kidneys," a word of of uncertain etymology, with possible cognates in Old Irish aru "kidney, gland," Welsh arenn "kidney, testicle," Hittite hah(ha)ari "lung(s), midriff." Also possibly related are Old Prussian straunay, Lithuanian strėnos "loins," Latvian streina "loins." "The semantic shift from 'loins' to 'kidneys' is quite conceivable" [de Vaan].

Entries linking to renal

"of or near the kidneys," 1866, Modern Latin, from ad- "to, near" + renalis "of the kidneys," from Latin renes "kidneys" (see renal). Adrenal gland is from 1875.

in science, "having the form or shape of a (human) kidney," 1753, from Latin renes "kidneys" (see renal) + -form.

enzyme found in kidneys, 1894, from German Renin, from Latin renes "kidneys" (see renal) + -in (2).

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