Pi*tu"i*ta*ry (?), a. [L. pituita phlegm, pituite: cf. F. pituitarie.] Anat. (a)
Secreting mucus or phlegm; as, the pituitary membrane, or the mucous membrane which lines the nasal cavities.
(b)
Of or pertaining to the pituitary body; as, the pituitary fossa.
Pituitary body ∨ gland Anat., a glandlike body of unknown function, situated in the pituitary fossa, and connected with the infundibulum of the brain; the hypophysis. -- Pituitary fossa Anat., the ephippium.
<-- glandula pituitaria, basilaris. Suspended from the base of the hypothalamus. secretes pituitary hormones: oxytocin, antidiuretic hormone; somatotropins, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone, gonadotropins, adrenal corticotropin and other peptide hormones. Called the "master gland" -->
© Webster 1913.