Main Entry: liv·er

Pronunciation: \ˈliv-ər\

Function: noun

1 a : a large very vascular glandular organ of vertebrates that secretes bile and causes important changes in many of the substances contained in the blood which passes through it (as by converting sugars into glycogen which it stores up until required and by forming urea), that in humans is the largest gland in the body, weighs from 40 to 60 ounces (1100 to 1700 grams), is a dark red color, and occupies the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity immediately below the diaphragm, that is divided by fissures into five lobes, and that receives blood both from the hepatic artery and the portal vein and returns it to the systemic circulation by the hepatic veins

[liver illustration]

b : any of various large compound glands associated with the digestive tract of invertebrate animals and probably concerned with the secretion of digestive enzymes
2 : the liver of an animal (as a calf or pig) eaten as food or used as a source of pharmaceutical products (as liver extract)
3 : disease or disorder of the liver : biliousness