pineal body

pineal body
noun
a small endocrine gland in the brain; situated beneath the back part of the corpus callosum; secretes melatonin
• Hypernyms: ↑endocrine gland, ↑endocrine, ↑ductless gland

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noun
: a small body arising from the roof of the third ventricle and enclosed by the pia mater in all craniate vertebrates that in man and most existing vertebrates is conical, reddish gray, and suggestive of a gland or in larval lampreys and a few reptiles is raised on a stalk toward the upper surface of the head and has the essential structure of an eye, that functions in some birds as part of a time-measuring system, and that is variously postulated to be a vestigial third eye, an endocrine organ, or the seat of the soul — called also pineal gland, pineal organ; see brain illustration

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(formerly) the pineal gland.
[1830-40]

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pineal body or pineal gland noun
A small organ at the end of an upgrowth from the optic thalami of the brain, that releases melatonin into the bloodstream
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Main Entry: ↑pineal

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pineal body or pineal gland,
a small, somewhat conical structure in the brain of all vertebrates that have a cranium. It secretes various chemical substances, such as melatonin, and appears to function in various animals as a light-sensing organ, as a biological clock, or as a ductless gland whose secretions regulate the activity of sex glands.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • pineal body — Pineal Pi ne*al, a. [L. pinea the cone of a pine, from pineus of the pine, from pinus a pine: cf. F. pin[ e]ale.] Of or pertaining to a pine cone; resembling a pine cone. [1913 Webster] {Pineal gland} (Anat.), a glandlike body in the roof of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pineal body — n. a small, grayish, cone shaped, glandular outgrowth from the brain of all vertebrates that produces the hormone melatonin: in lower vertebrates, often visible as an external median eye …   English World dictionary

  • pineal body — pineal gland …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • pineal body — A tiny organ in the cerebrum that produces melatonin. Also called pineal gland or pineal organ …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • pineal body — noun see pineal gland …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pineal body — (formerly) the pineal gland. [1830 40] * * * …   Universalium

  • pineal body — see pineal gland * * * 1. glandula pinealis. 2. the posterior eyelike structure arising from the median of the dorsal wall of the thalamus in some lower vertebrates. See also epiphyseal eye, under eye …   Medical dictionary

  • pineal body — pin′eal bod′y n. anat. pineal gland • Etymology: 1830–40 …   From formal English to slang

  • Pineal gland — Diagram of pituitary and pineal glands in the human brain Latin glandula pinealis Gray s …   Wikipedia

  • Pineal — Pi ne*al, a. [L. pinea the cone of a pine, from pineus of the pine, from pinus a pine: cf. F. pin[ e]ale.] Of or pertaining to a pine cone; resembling a pine cone. [1913 Webster] {Pineal gland} (Anat.), a glandlike body in the roof of the third… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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