lymphatic system

noun

: the part of the circulatory system that is concerned especially with scavenging fluids and proteins which have escaped from cells and tissues and returning them to the blood, with the phagocytic removal of cellular debris and foreign material, and with the immune response and that consists especially of lymphoid tissue, lymph, and lymph-transporting vessels

called also lymph system

Examples of lymphatic system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In May 2023, VidCon co-founder and vlogger Hank Green shared that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. —Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024

According to the Cleveland Clinic, metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor, enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system and spread to other parts of the body. —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 1 Aug. 2024

If the lymphatic system does not function properly, fluid builds up in the body, usually in the legs and arms. —Desireé Oostland, Vogue, 30 July 2024

Your lymphatic system relies on muscle contractions and proactive movement (like exercise, limb elevation, and massage) to retain proper lymph drainage. —Cristina Mutchler, Health, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lymphatic system

noun

: the part of the circulatory system that consists of special tissue (as of the lymph nodes and tonsils), lymph, lymph-transporting vessels, and the thymus and spleen and is concerned especially with returning fluids and proteins back to the blood and with destroying material (as bacteria) foreign to the body

called also lymph system

Medical Definition

lymphatic system

noun

variants also lymph system or lymphoid system

: the part of the circulatory system that is concerned especially with collecting fluids and proteins that have escaped from cells and tissues and returning them to the blood, with the phagocytic removal of cellular debris and foreign material, and with immune responses, that overlaps and parallels the system of blood vessels in function and shares some constituents with it, and that consists mainly of the thymus, spleen, tonsils, lymph, lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, lymphocytes, and bone marrow where stem cells differentiate into precursors of B cells and T cells