Akademik

a small endocrine gland in the brain; situated beneath the back part of the corpus callosum; secretes melatonin

: a small body arising from the roof of the third ventricle and enclosed by the pia mater in all craniate vertebrates that in man and most existing vertebrates is conical, reddish gray, and suggestive of a gland or in larval lampreys and a few reptiles is raised on a stalk toward the upper surface of the head and has the essential structure of an eye, that functions in some birds as part of a time-measuring system, and that is variously postulated to be a vestigial third eye, an endocrine organ, or the seat of the soul — called also pineal gland, pineal organ; see brain illustration

(formerly) the pineal gland.

[1830-40]

pineal body or pineal gland noun

A small organ at the end of an upgrowth from the optic thalami of the brain, that releases melatonin into the bloodstream

Main Entry: ↑pineal

pineal body or pineal gland,

a small, somewhat conical structure in the brain of all vertebrates that have a cranium. It secretes various chemical substances, such as melatonin, and appears to function in various animals as a light-sensing organ, as a biological clock, or as a ductless gland whose secretions regulate the activity of sex glands.