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pituitaire

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Etymology and origin of the French word pituitaire

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1575 A. Paré More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
Latin pītuīta

Pronunciation

  • /pi.tɥi.tɛʁ/[1]

Forms

pituitaire (plural pituitaires)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French pituite + -aire.[2][3][4][5][6][1] Littré instead gives it as borrowed from Latin pītuītārius, from pītuīta (“phlegm”).[7] The base noun is a learned borrowing of the same Latin word, the doublet of pépie.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A. Paré speaks of la glande pituitaire ou colatoire of the brain, in a text the TLFi and the Petit Robert date 1575[2][5][7] and the GLLF, the Grand Robert and Rey about 1560.[4][3][8]

Semantic evolution

Following the history of pituite, the adjective passed from “relating to the humour called phlegm” to its modern anatomical use.[8] The membrane pituitaire, the mucous membrane lining the nasal cavities, is recorded by the Académie in 1762,[2][8] and in 1814 Nysten used la pituitaire alone as a feminine noun.[2] Littré records the fosse pituitaire of the sphenoid, also called selle turcique.[7][4] The glande pituitaire is today usually called hypophyse.[5][4]

English pituitary (1610s) comes from Latin pituitarius; the gland was so named because it was thought to channel mucus to the nose.[9]

Timeline

  • 1575 – A. Paré writes of the glande pituitaire.[2][5]
  • 1762 – The Académie records membrane pituitaire.[2][8]
  • 1814 – Nysten uses la pituitaire as a noun.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (dated) Relating to pituite, phlegm.[5][4][7]
  2. (anatomy) Membrane pituitaire, muqueuse pituitaire: the mucous membrane lining the nasal cavities.[2][5][7]
  3. (anatomy) Glande pituitaire: the pituitary gland, the hypophyse.[5][4][7]
  4. (anatomy) Fosse pituitaire: the hollow in the sphenoid bone that holds this gland.[4][7]

Noun

  1. (anatomy) La pituitaire: the nasal mucous membrane.[2][5][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pituitaire.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/pituitaire. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·