n.
Pronunciation: ˌ me-z ə - ' ne-fr ə s, ˌ m ē -, -s ə -, - ˌ fräs
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -neph · roi \ - ˌ fro ̇ i \
Etymology: New Latin, from mes- + Greek nephros kidney ― more at NEPHRITIS
Date: 1887
: either member of the second and midmost of the three paired vertebrate renal organs that functions in adult fishes and amphibians but functions only in the embryo of reptiles, birds, and mammals in which it is replaced by a metanephros in the adult ― compare METANEPHROS , PRONEPHROS
– me · so · neph · ric \ -frik \ adjective