One of the two small, soft lumps at the back of your throat that help your body fight infections.
The word comes from Latin 'tonsillae', meaning 'tonsils'. It entered English through medical Latin in the 1500s–1600s.
Tonsils are part of your immune system’s 'front line', catching germs that enter through your mouth or nose. People used to have them removed very often, but doctors today are much more careful and only remove them when truly needed.
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