goitre

IPA/ˈɡɔɪtə(r)/
IPA/ˈɡɔɪtər/

goitre — noun

  • goitresingular
  • goitresplural

1. a medical condition in which a person's thyroid gland grows much larger than usu

1.nounC1
Definition

a medical condition in which a person's thyroid gland grows much larger than usual, creating a visible swelling on the neck

Example

The doctor told Mrs. Delgado that her goitre did not need any treatment.

countable noun for a specific case

In some villages where salt lacks iodine, goitre is a common health problem.

uncountable use describing a general condition

Common collocations
  • develop a goitre
  • have a goitre
  • remove a goitre
  • goitre caused by iodine deficiency
  • goitre patient
  • goitre surgery
Synonyms
  • goiter

    American spelling variant of the same word; the condition is identical

  • thyroid enlargement

    broader descriptive term that may not always imply a visible neck swelling

Usage Note

Frequently used as a countable noun (a goitre / goitres); the uncountable form (goitre as a disease) also appears in medical contexts. The American English spelling is goiter.

Common Mistakes

She has a goitre from an infected throat.
She has a goitre from an enlarged thyroid.
Goitre is caused by thyroid problems, not by throat infections or swollen lymph nodes.

Word family

  • goitrous
    adjectiveC2
  • goiter
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Goitre (spelled goiter in American English) describes a visible enlargement of the whole thyroid gland that makes the neck appear swollen. Thyroid enlargement is a broader clinical term that covers any increase in thyroid size, whether or not it is visible externally — a mild enlargement seen only on ultrasound would be called thyroid enlargement but not a goitre. A thyroid nodule is a distinct lump within an otherwise normal-sized thyroid; it is not the same as a generalised gland swelling and requires different medical evaluation. Struma is an older medical term for goitre that appears mainly in pathology reports today. In everyday health contexts, goitre is the term used when the entire gland is visibly swollen, while nodule refers to a single abnormal spot within the gland.

goitre ↗goiterthyroid enlargementthyroid nodulestruma

Common collocations

Nouns

  • goitre surgery
  • goitre patient
  • goitre treatment

Phrases

  • suffer from goitre
  • treat a goitre
  • diagnose a goitre
  • cause a goitre

Prepositions

  • with a goitre
  • for goitre
  • of a goitre

Etymology

LatinProvençalFrenchEnglish

Goitre came into English in the early 1600s from French goitre, which itself came from the Provençal word goitron, meaning 'throat' or 'gullet'. The Latin root guttur also means 'throat', linking the condition to its visible location on the neck.