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pineal eye

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noun
an eyelike structure that develops from the pineal apparatus in certain cold-blooded vertebrates.
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Also called third eye.

Origin of pineal eye

First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pineal eye in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pineal eye

pineal eye

noun
an outgrowth of the pineal gland that forms an eyelike structure on the top of the head in certain cold-blooded vertebrates
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

Scientific definitions for pineal eye

pineal eye
[ pÄ­nâ€Čē-əl, pÄ«â€Čnē-əl ]

A sensory structure capable of light reception, appearing as a spot on the top of the head in lampreys, hagfish, amphibians, and some reptiles, especially the tuatara. Pineal eyes can contain a rudimentary cornea, lens, cone cells, and retina, and are thought to be sensitive to light and dark but not to be able to form images.
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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