(anatomy) The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, which filters the blood in order to regulate chemical concentrations, and thereby produces urine.
Used in a Sentence
nephron
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for nephron.
Editorial note
The kidney won't work properly if the blood needing filtration can't reach the nephron (functional unit of the kidney).
Examples3
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
(anatomy) The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, which filters the blood in order to regulate chemical concentrations, and thereby produces urine.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of nephron gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for nephron.
noun
(anatomy) The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, which filters the blood in order to regulate chemical concentrations, and thereby produces urine.
Example sentences
The kidney won't work properly if the blood needing filtration can't reach the nephron (functional unit of the kidney).
Lower molecular weight fragments of antibodies are usually reabsorbed in the proximal tubule of the nephron.
You can give a pretty handwavy explanation to get someone oriented and then go into more and more detail (for example about the structure of the nephron, the hormones involved, how filtration works at a molecular level, etc.) The other organ systems are similar.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use nephron in a sentence?
The kidney won't work properly if the blood needing filtration can't reach the nephron (functional unit of the kidney).
What does nephron mean?
(anatomy) The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, which filters the blood in order to regulate chemical concentrations, and thereby produces urine.
What part of speech is nephron?
nephron is commonly used as noun.