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prostate
(pros´tāt)
a gland in the male that surrounds the bladder neck and urethra; it consists of a median lobe and two lateral lobes and is made up partly of glandular matter (whose ducts empty into the prostatic portion of the urethra) and partly of muscular fibers that encircle the urethra. It contributes to the seminal fluid a secretion containing acid phosphatase, citric acid, and proteolytic enzymes, which account for the liquefaction of the coagulated semen. The rate of secretion increases greatly during sexual stimulation. Called also prostate gland. adj., prostat´ic., adj.
Prostate and seminal vesicles.

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