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pineal

pineal

6 9.3
Relating to the small part of the brain that makes a hormone for sleep
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɪniəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pineal
  • Well, we know that the pineal gland helps to regulate the sex drive.
  • pineal gland

But like the isn't the pineal gland responsible for dreams?

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Examples

  • Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain.

    Blog text (4)
  • You know what the pineal gland is?

  • But we know that the pineal gland is known by many as our third eye.

  • I have to find out if the pineal gland is really the key.

  • Dead centre of the human brain, lies the legendary pineal gland.

  • Ancient researchers gave this third eye a biological designation: the pineal gland.

    Blog text (12)
  • And it's synthesized in the pineal gland, which is a very small, it's the size of a pea in your brain.

  • The ancient Egyptians and the Aztecs knew a thing or two about the pineal gland and so did the Greeks.

  • In fact, Descartes suggested a localization of intellectual and spiritual functions in the pineal gland, and more recent work has modified this hypothesis in only a limited fashion.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The pineal gland plays a crucial role in regulating sleep patterns by producing melatonin.

Compounds

pineal gland
  • Specialized
5 5.6

A small pea-shaped part of the brain that makes melatonin to help control sleep

pineal body
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A small gland in the brain that makes melatonin and helps control sleep and daily body rhythms

pineal eye
  • Specialized
9.9

A small organ that senses light on top of the head in some lizards and other animals

Surface Forms

pineal positive

Morphology

pineal = pine (opaque) = pine + al

Although historically connected to the pine-cone shape, the anatomical meaning is lexicalized and not predictable for an average learner from pine + -al alone.

Etymology

Pineal comes from the Latin pinea 'pine cone'. The small pineal gland in the brain was named because it looks like a tiny pine cone, so pineal in medicine means 'relating to that gland'.