Etymology of Neuroscience Terms

Neuroanatomical, Neurophysiological and Neuropsychological Terminology

This table lists the original Greek and Latin meanings of neurosciencewords. Most of the words are neuroanatomical terms, butneurological symptoms and disorders are also included.

				WORD		MEANING			WORD		MEANING---------	-------			---------	-------abducens	drawing away	  	infundibulum	funnelablation	carrying away		insula		islandalar		wing-like		lamina		layer, thin platealveus		canal			lemniscus	woolen band or filetamacrine	long fiber		limbic		border, hem, fringeambidextrous    both right		lingula 	little tongueamblyopia	dull vision		lumbar		pertaining to the loinsamnesia		forgetfulnessampulla		small bottle		macula		spotamygdala	almond			malleus         hammeraphasia		no speech		mater (dura)    mother aqueduct	water leading		medulla		innermost, marrowanalgesia	no pain			melanin		blackaneurysm	widening		meningitis	membrane inflammationanesthesia	no sensationansa		urn handle		microglia       small glueantitoxin	against poison		myelin          marrowaphagia		no eat			aphasia		no speech		aqueduct	water canal		arachnoid	spider web-like		arcuate n.	bow shaped		astrocyte	star-like cell 		narcolepsy	numbness seizureataxia		not orderly		neuron		nerveaura		breath, breeze		nucleus		nutaxon		axis, axle		obex		barrierbouton		button			oligodendrocyte few tree cellbrachium	arm			operculus	cover, lidcalcarine	spur-shaped		optic		for sightcallosum	hard, tough		oscilloscope	to examine swingingcannula		reed			pallidus	palecataplexy	down stroke, seizure	paralysis	to loosencauda		tail			paranoia	mind beside itselfcauda equina	horse tail		caudate 	tail			penducle	stemlikecausalgia	burning pain		pellucidum	translucentcenereum	ash gray		pia		soft	cerebellum	little brain		pineal		pine conecerebrum	brain			piriform	pear-shapedceruleus	blue			pituitary	slime, mucouscervical        neck			placebo		to pleasechiasm          a crossing		pulvinar	pillowchorea          dance			pons		bridgechoroid         like a membrane		potential 	powercingulum        girdle or belt		pterygoid	wing-shapedcircadian       about a day 		pulp		fleshcistern         reservior or well	pulvinar	cushion, couchclaustrum       barrier			pupil		girlcochlea		snail shell		putamen         shell					colliculus      little hill		pyramis         pyramid comatose        deep sleep		pyriform        pear-shaped commissure      joining together	commissure 	joining together     	ramus		branch corona 		crown			raphe		seam					rectus		straightcorpus		body			restiform	rope-likecortex		bark, shell		reticular 	net-likecribiform	sieve-like		rhodopsin	rose eyecruciate	cross-shaped		rostral		beakculmen		ridge, summit		rubro		red					sacral		sacred, holycuneate 	wedge			sagittal	arrowcupula		little tub		schizophrenia	split minddecussation	crossing		semilunar	half moondendrite	tree			septum 		wall, partition	dentate		notched			sinus		a hollowdura		hard			soma		bodydyskinesia	improper motion		somnambulism    sleep walk					somniloquism	sleep speak (talk)edema		swellingemboliform	plug-like		splenium	bandageepilepsy	seizure 		stapes		stirrupethmoid		sieve-like		stellate	starfasciculus	little bundle		stimulate	to goadfastigial	gable like		striated	striped					substantia nigra black substancefilum		thread			sulcus		groove, trench, furrowfimbria		fringe			synapse		connectionflocculus	tuft of wool		tectum		rooffolium		leaf			tegmentum	coveringforamen		opening			fornix		arch			tentorium	tentfossa           trench, channelfovea		pit, depression		thalamus	inner chamberfundus		bottom			thoracic	chestfuniculus	little cord		trabecula	little beamfusiform	spindle-shapedganglion	knot, swelling		trigeminal	three-twinsgenu		knee			trochlear	pulleygeniculate	bent like a knee 	tubercle	swellingglabrous	bald			uncus		hookgland		acorn			vagus		wanderingglia		glue		globus pallidus	pale ball		ventricle	small cavitygracile		slender			vermis		wormgyrus		ring, circle		vertex		top, summithabenula	rein			vermis		wormhalluncination	to wander in the mind	vesicle         blister, bladder hippocampus	sea horse		hypnosis	sleepincus		anvil

Please send me additions to this list at: chudler@u.washington.edu

Etymology of Neuroscience Prefixes