The largest gland in the human body is

Concept

A gland is an organ or group of cells that synthesises and secretes a substance (a hormone, an enzyme, or a digestive juice). Glands are classified as exocrine (secreting through ducts) or endocrine (secreting hormones directly into the blood). “Largest” here means greatest by mass/size among the body’s glands.

Application

The liver is the body’s largest gland, weighing roughly 1.4–1.5 kg in an adult. As an exocrine gland it secretes bile (via the bile duct) to aid fat digestion, and it also performs many metabolic, storage and detoxification functions. No other gland in the body matches its mass.

Contrast

• Pancreas – a mixed (exocrine + endocrine) gland, but far smaller, weighing only about 70–80 g.

• Pituitary gland – an endocrine “master gland”, yet tiny: roughly the size of a pea (about 0.5 g).

• Kidney – an excretory organ that filters blood to form urine; it is not classified as a gland at all.

Therefore the largest gland in the human body is the liver.