encephalon

[ en-sef-uh-lon, -luhn ]

noun

, plural en·ceph·a·la [en-, sef, -, uh, -l, uh].

1. Anatomy. the brain.

encephalon

/ ɛnˈsɛfəˌlɒn /

noun

1. a technical name for brain

Derived Forms

• enˈcephalous, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of encephalon¹

1735–45; < New Latin, alteration ( -on for -os ) of Greek enképhalos (adj.) within the head, as masculine noun, brain; en- ², -cephalous

Word History and Origins

Origin of encephalon¹

C18: from New Latin, from Greek enkephalos brain (literally: that which is in the head), from en- ² + kephalē head

Example Sentences

“The coagula I easily removed and passed the little finger of my left hand through the perfectly smooth opening made by the ball, and found that it had entered the encephalon.”

From Washington Post

Cerebral Neuralgia.—We enter, here, on an extremely obscure and doubtful subject: Can there be pain in the central masses of the encephalon?

From Project Gutenberg

I consider the significance of the encephalon to depend upon the number and size of the cells composing it.

From Project Gutenberg

Broca, the most eminent of French anthropologists, regarded as an absurdity the attempt to establish a necessary relation between the development of intelligence and the volume and weight of the encephalon.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cerebrum or Great Brain lies above the plane of the tentorium, and forms much the largest division of the encephalon.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• head
• intellect
• mind