The kidney and liver are vital organs in an animal and human body. Most people confuse these two internal organs because they assume they look slightly similar and function similarly. We compare and contrast these internal organs in this kidney vs. liver post.
The kidney is a pair of organs in the abdomen that help remove waste products and excess fluids from the body. In contrast, the liver is a large lobed glandular organ that breaks down foods, cleans the blood, and synthesizes proteins, glycogen, cholesterol, & triglycerides to create & store energy.
The main reason people compare these organs is that they both play a significant role in excretion. However, the liver and kidney are very different and do not perform the same functions. Read on to find out more about things that tell the two apart.
Definitions Of Liver And Kidney
The liver and kidney are two of the most vital internal organs in an animal’s body. These organs perform key functions. Therefore, when they fail, you can expect significant medical issues. Before we examine the roles and biological differences between the liver and the kidney, let us look at how the dictionary defines these words. Here are the definitions of the liver and kidney:
Definitions Of Liver
The liver is a large dark-red gland located in the top right area of the abdomen, right below the diaphragm. It features fissure divisions into five lobes, performs various metabolic processes, and secretes bile. An example in a sentence is, “The human liver performs several vital functions in the body.”
The liver is an organ in the body that secretes bile and helps store and metabolize fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For example, “I woke up at 3 am to study notes about the liver before my Biology exams.”
In other animals besides humans, the liver is an organ similar to the human liver that people can use for food. For example, in a sentence, “I always order the liver when I visit the Soho restaurant in Beverly Hills.”
As an adjective, liver refers to anything of color or related to the liver. For example, “Kindly use the liver plates in the cabinet instead of the white ones.”
The word liver also refers to “someone that lives in a specified way.” For example, in a sentence, “The extravagant liver will run out of money soon if she does not learn how to budget.”
Definitions Of Kidney
The kidney is a pair of glandular organs in the body that filters water and waste metabolism products from the blood to create urine excreted through the bladder. The kidney is a pair of internal organs. You can find each one of the pairs in the dorsal region of the vertebrate abdominal cavity. Let’s look at an example in a sentence, “The kidney creates urine by filtering blood and wastewater.”
The kidney is an excretory organ found in certain vertebrates besides human beings. You can cook this animal organ as food. In a sentence, “My mum has one of the best kidney recipes.”
How To Properly Use Liver And Kidney In A Sentence
You can use these words in sentences as long as you understand their meanings. However, some people have developed slang meanings for these words that may be hard to understand. For instance, some people refer to servers or people of a specific class as “kidneys.” Below are some things you should remember when using these words in a sentence:
How To Use The Word Kidney
Use the word kidney as a noun when referring to one of the body’s pairs of organs that filter blood to produce urine. However, when referring to both, you can use the plural form “kidneys.” For example, “Her family donated Jane’s kidneys after her death.”
You can also use this word to refer to a meal prepared with an animal’s kidney. For example, “The kidney tasted different today.”
How To Use The Word Liver
You can use this word as a noun when talking about an internal body organ that produces bile, destroys toxins, and stores and metabolizes nutrients. For example, “The liver is one of the largest internal organs in the human body.”
The word liver is a countable noun. Therefore, you can use its plural form, “livers.” However, when using this word to describe someone who lives in a specified way, it functions as an uncountable noun. In a sentence, “The extravagant liver would not survive in my home.”
You can also use the word liver as an adjective. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or verb. So, as an adjective, the word liver describes an item with similar color as the liver. In a sentence, “Jane bought the liver shirt in Melbourne.”
Word Usage Posts
Kidney Vs. Liver: Three More Differences
The definitions in the dictionaries do not explain these words comprehensively. Therefore, to understand their differences better, let us look at the following elements:
Functions
The primary functions of the liver are:
- Storing and filtering blood
- Metabolizing proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids
- Bile production and storage of fats, irons, vitamins, and glycogen
- Excretion of metabolic wastes from hemoglobin breakdown
In contrast, the functions of the kidney are:
- Excretion of wastes through urine
- Hormone secretion
- Blood pressure regulation and body PH maintenance
- Regulation of osmolarity
- Excretion of ammonia, water, inorganic irons, uric acid, and urea
Location
The liver sits in the upper right of the abdominal cavity below the diaphragm and attaches to the peritoneum. In contrast, each pair of kidneys sits below the rib cage on either side of the spine behind the peritoneum.
Grammar And Pronunciation
You can also differentiate these words by their grammar elements. For instance, you can use the word liver as a noun or adjective. The word kidney only applies as a noun. Additionally, the word liver has two syllables, “liv-er.” The stressed syllable is “liv.” So the correct pronunciation for liver is “/liv-er/.”
The word kidney has two syllables, “kid-ney.” When pronouncing this word, you should stress the first syllable. The correct pronunciation for the kidney is “/kid-nee/.” Knowing the correct pronunciation of these words makes it easy for you to use them in speech.
List Of Examples Of Kidney And Liver Use In Sentences
Most people feel happy and satisfied when they perfectly create sentences with new words. However, you may benefit from some inspiration before creating sentences with words you have recently learned. Below are some sentence examples to inspire you:
Example sentences of the word kidney
- I asked the waiter for goat’s kidney pies instead of steak.
- The doctors discovered my mum’s kidney failure two hours before her death.
- I gave one of my kidneys to my sick brother last year.
- Very few people pass away during kidney transplants.
- Sharon’s mum succumbed to kidney failure.
Example sentences of the word liver
- My mum makes the best liver in town.
- Too much alcohol will damage your liver.
- After her death, Jane’s family donated all her vital organs, including her liver.
- The liver medication makes me feel dizzy and exhausted.
- Insulin helps your liver produce ample glucose to sustain your energy levels.
Conclusion
The human body is an exciting subject with many fascinating organs, like the kidney and liver. You do not have to be a biologist to know about these organs and their functions. Unfortunately, many people know very little about their bodies and internal organs. For this reason, we created this article. Our goal is to provide clarity on words that confuse readers. So, feel free to share your thoughts as you read more of our articles.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.