pituitary

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pituitary

/pɪˈtjuːɪt(ə)ɹi/ UK
/pɪˈt͡ʃuːɪt(ə)ɹi/ UK
/pɪˈtuɪˌtɛɹi/ US

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Latin pītuītārius (“mucous”), from pītuīta (“mucus, phlegm”). First attested in the 1610s. First attested as a noun by 1899. The term was adopted as the name for the gland, because it was believed that it channeled mucus to the nose.

adjective

not comparable Of or relating to the pituitary gland.
not comparable Mucous.
Similar: pituital, pituitous

noun pituitaries

The pituitary gland; sometimes including together with the pituitary stalk.
Similar: hypophysis
An extract from the pituitary gland.

Translations

Every language

adj of or relating to the pituitary gland

Español	pituitario
中文	腦垂體的 /脑垂体的 nǎochuítǐ de, 垂體的 /垂体的 chuítǐ de
Português	pituitário, hipofisário
Français	pituitaire, hypophysaire
العربية	نُخَامِيّ nuḵāmiyy

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MLA

"pituitary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pituitary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pituitary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pituitary

Chicago

"pituitary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pituitary.

BibTeX

@misc{pituitary_2026,
  title = {pituitary},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pituitary},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}