paleencephalon

[ pey-lee-en-sef-uh-lon; especially British pal-ee- ]

noun

, plural pa·le·en·ceph·a·la [pey-lee-en-, sef, -, uh, -l, uh, pal-ee-].

1. (no longer in technical use) the more primitive part of the brain in the evolutionary development of animals, including all parts except the cerebral cortex and its related structures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paleencephalon¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from New Latin; pale-, encephalon