kidney

Meaning

1. An organ in the body that filters the blood, producing urine.
2. This organ (of an animal) cooked as food.
3. Constitution, temperament, nature, type, character, disposition. (usually used of people)
4. (obsolete,slang) A waiter.

Synonyms

kidneys

butchery cut

liver

reins

ren

bladder

rump

type

nephridium

nephros

nephro

renal

hematite

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɪdni/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: kednei

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Njuure

Cognate with Dutch: nier

Cognate with German: Niere

Cognate with Danish: nyre

Cognate with Norwegian: nyre

Cognate with Swedish: njure

Cognate with Old High German: nioro

In summary

From Middle English kednei, kidenei, from earlier kidnēre, kidenēre (“kidney”), of obscure origin and formation. Probably a compound consisting of Middle English *kid, *quid (“belly, womb”), from Old English cwiþ, cwiþa (“belly, womb, stomach”) + Middle English nēre (“kidney”), from Old English *nēora (“kidney”), from Proto-West Germanic *neurō, from Proto-Germanic *neurô (“kidney”), from Proto-Indo-European *negʷʰr- (“kidney”). If so, then related to Scots nere, neir (“kidney”), Saterland Frisian Njuure (“kidney”), Dutch nier (“kidney”), German Niere (“kidney”), Danish nyre (“kidney”), Norwegian nyre (“kidney”), Swedish njure (“kidney”), Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós).
Alternate etymology traces the first element to Old English cēod, codd (“sack, scrotum”), from Proto-Germanic *keudō (“sack”) as the terms for testicle and kidney were often interchangeable in Germanic (compare Old High German nioro (“kidney", also "testicle”), Old Swedish vig-niauri (“testicle”)). More at codpiece.