Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to a type of sweat gland: Describes exocrine glands, specifically certain sweat glands, that produce a watery, odorless secretion directly onto the skin's surface without losing cellular material. This secretion is crucial for thermoregulation (cooling the body).

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Humans have numerous eccrine glands distributed across their skin.
  • The primary function of eccrine sweat is to regulate body temperature through evaporation.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific/Medical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in anatomical, physiological, and dermatological contexts to distinguish this gland type from others, like apocrine glands.
  • The study focused on the density of eccrine ducts in different skin regions.

Variants and Related Words

• Eccrine gland (noun phrase): The full term for the gland itself.
  • Eccrine glands are innervated by the sympathetic nervous system.
• Apocrine (adjective): The contrasting type of sweat gland, associated with hair follicles and producing a thicker secretion.

Synonyms

• Merocrine (adjective): In some biological classifications, this is a more general term for glands that secrete without cell loss, encompassing eccrine function. However, in human anatomy, "eccrine" is the precise term for thermoregulatory sweat glands.

Notes on Meaning

• The word eccrine specifically modifies "glands" or their secretions. It does not describe a substance or condition on its own. Its core meaning is tied to the specific mode of secretion (exocytosis of a watery fluid) and the primary function of temperature control.

Adjective

1. (of exocrine glands) producing a clear aqueous secretion without releasing part of the secreting cell; important in regulating body temperature