— kidneylike , adj.
/kid"nee/ , n. , pl. kidneys .
1. Anat. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.
2. Zool. a corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.
3. the meat of an animal's kidney used as food.
4. constitution or temperament: He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.
5. kind, sort, or class: He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.
[ 1275-1325; ME kidenei, kidenere (sing.), kideneres, kideneren (pl.); orig. uncert.; perh. a compound based either on nere (sing.), neres (pl.) kidney (OE * neore; cf. OHG nioro, ON nyra ); or ei (sing.), eiren (pl.) EGG 1 , OE aeg (sing.), aegru (pl.) (by assoc. with the organ's shape); for the first element cf. dial. kid pod (akin to COD 2 ) ]