silk gland

silk gland

n.

Any of the glands in silk-spinning insects and spiders that secrete a protein liquid that hardens into silk on exposure to air.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

silk gland - silk-producing gland of insects (especially of a silkworm) or spiders sericterium, serictery silkworm - the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk giant silkworm, wild wilkworm, silkworm - larva of a saturniid moth; spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon gland, secreter, secretor, secretory organ - any of various organs that synthesize substances needed by the body and release it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream