pineal eye


noun
  1. an eyelike structure that develops from the pineal apparatus in certain cold-blooded vertebrates.

Origin of pineal eye

1
First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pineal eye in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pineal eye

pineal eye

noun
  1. an outgrowth of the pineal gland that forms an eyelike structure on the top of the head in certain cold-blooded vertebrates

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

Scientific definitions for pineal eye

pineal eye

[ pĭnē-əl, pīnē-əl ]


  1. A sensory structure capable of light reception, appearing as a spot on the top of the head in lampreys, hagfish, amphibians, and some reptiles, especially the tuatara. Pineal eyes can contain a rudimentary cornea, lens, cone cells, and retina, and are thought to be sensitive to light and dark but not to be able to form images.

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