Merocrine is a term used to describe a gland or glandular tissue that produces and secretes its products without losing any of its cells in the process. This process is also known as eccrine secretion. The word merocrine is often used interchangeably with the term eccrine, although eccrine is more commonly used in reference to sweat glands specifically. Synonyms for merocrine include exocrine, apocrine, and holocrine. These terms refer to different types of glandular secretions, distinguished by the ways in which they produce and release their products. Exocrine glands release their products through ducts, apocrine glands shed cell fragments along with their secretions, and holocrine glands release their products by destroying and discharging entire cells.