kidney: Meaning and Definition of

kid•ney

1. either of a pair of bean-shaped organs in the back part of the abdominal cavity that form and excrete urine, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, and act as endocrine glands.
2. a corresponding organ in other vertebrate animals or an organ of like function in invertebrates.
3. the meat of an animal's kidney used as food.
4. constitution or temperament: He was a quiet child, of a different kidney from his boisterous brothers.
5. kind, sort, or class: He is only at ease with men of his own kidney.