pituitary

[ pi-too-i-ter-ee, -tyoo- ]

noun,plural pi·tu·i·tar·ies.
  1. Pharmacology. the extract obtained from the lobes of the pituitary glands of hogs, sheep, and other domestic animals: the posterior lobe constituent increases blood pressure, contracts stomach muscles, etc., and the anterior lobe constituent regulates growth of the skeleton.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or involving the pituitary gland.

  2. noting a physical type of abnormal size with overgrown extremities resulting from excessive pituitary secretion.

Origin of pituitary

1
First recorded in 1605–15, pituitary is from the Latin word pītuītārius pertaining to or secreting phlegm. See pip2, -ary

Other words from pituitary

  • post·pi·tu·i·tar·y, adjective
  • pre·pi·tu·i·tar·y, adjective

Words Nearby pituitary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pituitary in a sentence

  • The origin of the pituitary body from the roof of the mouth was first described by Rathke .

    Form and Function | E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
  • Between this skeleton and the pituitary body the important portion of the brain formed by the occipital lobes takes its origin.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot
  • The coxal excretory organs at the base of the endognaths remain and become the pituitary body.

    The Origin of Vertebrates | Walter Holbrook Gaskell

British Dictionary definitions for pituitary

pituitary

/ (pɪˈtjuːɪtərɪ, -trɪ) /


nounplural -taries
adjective
  1. of or relating to the pituitary gland

  2. archaic of or relating to phlegm or mucus

Origin of pituitary

1
C17: from Late Latin pītuītārius slimy, from pītuīta phlegm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012