pineal gland

pineal gland

noun

Definition of PINEAL GLAND

: a small usually conical appendage of the brain of all craniate vertebrates that functions primarily as an endocrine gland secreting melatonin and that in a few reptiles has the essential structure of an eye —called also pineal, pineal body, pineal organ

First Known Use of PINEAL GLAND

1712

Rhymes with PINEAL GLAND

adrenal gland, analysand, back of one's hand, Bechuanaland, cloud-cuckoo-land, digestive gland, endocrine gland, fantasyland, Franz Josef Land, head-in-the-sand, mammary gland, misunderstand, multiplicand, Somaliland, Sudetenland, to beat the band, vacationland, videoland, Witwatersrand

pineal gland

noun    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PINEAL GLAND

: a small body that arises from the roof of the third ventricle and is enclosed by the pia mater and that functions primarily as an endocrine gland that produces melatonin—called also pineal, pineal body, pineal organ

pineal gland

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Endocrine gland in the brain that produces melatonin. It is large in children and begins to shrink at puberty. The gland may play a significant role in sexual maturation, circadian rhythm and sleep induction, and seasonal affective disorder and depression. In animals it is known to play a major role in sexual development, hibernation, and seasonal breeding.

Variants of PINEAL GLAND

pineal gland or pineal body