來源於希臘語。

[Greek adēn, a gland.]

The adenoids are glandular tissue at the back of the nose, whose surgical removal is adenoidectomy (Greek ektomē, excision); adenopathy (Greek patheia, suffering) is a disease or disorder of glandular tissue, usually enlargement of the lymphatic glands; adenosis is excessive growth or development of glands; the adjective adenoid can refer to the adenoids, but also to glandular tissue in general.

An adenovirus is any of a group of DNA viruses first discovered in adenoid tissue, most of which cause respiratory diseases. Adenine is one of the four constituent bases of DNA, named because it is found in all glandular tissue; its relative adenosine, a compound of it with the sugar ribose, is a nucleoside best known for its derivative adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy in cells.