pituitary

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

/ pɪˈtu ɪˌtɛr i, -ˈtyu- /

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noun, plural pi·tu·i·tar·ies.

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

of, relating to, or involving the pituitary gland.

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

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Origin of pituitary

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, adjectivepre·pi·tu·i·tar·y, adjective

Words nearby pituitary

Pittsburg, Pittsburgh, Pittsburg Landing, Pittsfield, Pitt Street Farmer, pituitary, pituitary body, pituitary extract, pituitary gland, pituitous, pituri

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pituitary in a sentence

Others who, because of a tumor in the pituitary gland, may overproduce HGH develop a different problem: gigantism.
Is HGH, Allegedly Alex Rodriguez’s Drug of Choice, Really So Bad?|Kent Sepkowitz|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
HGH is a hormone normally made in tiny amounts by the pituitary gland in all of us.
Where Were the Doctors to Testify at Roger Clemens’s Perjury Trial?|Kent Sepkowitz|June 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At the other end, a tumor of the pituitary can over-produce growth hormone and cause acromegaly.
Where Were the Doctors to Testify at Roger Clemens’s Perjury Trial?|Kent Sepkowitz|June 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I want a ball bat to club every country jake doctor that looks me over and asks about my pituitary gland.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney

He says, As the pituitary body is an integral part of the brain, so are the suprarenal bodies part of the sympathetic system.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
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) /

noun plural -taries

See pituitary gland, pituitary extract

adjective

of or relating to the pituitary gland

archaic of or relating to phlegm or mucus

Word Origin for pituitary

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