thalamus

American  

[thal-uh-muhs] / ˈθæl ə məs /

noun

plural

thalami

1. Anatomy. the middle part of the diencephalon through which sensory impulses pass to reach the cerebral cortex.

2. Botany. a receptacle or torus.

3. Also called thalamium.  an apartment for women in an ancient Greek house.

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thalamus British  

/ ˈθæləməs, θəˈlæmɪk /

noun

1. either of the two contiguous egg-shaped masses of grey matter at the base of the brain

2. both of these masses considered as a functional unit

3. the receptacle or torus of a flower

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thalamus Scientific  

/ thăl′ə-məs /

plural

thalami

1. The part of the vertebrate brain that lies at the rear of the forebrain. It relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex and regulates the perception of touch, pain, and temperature.

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thalamus Cultural  

1. The part of the brain that coordinates nerve impulses relating to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, and taste.

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Other Word Forms

• postthalamic adjective
• subthalamic adjective
• thalamic adjective
• thalamically adverb
• transthalamic adjective

Etymology

Origin of thalamus

1695–1705; < New Latin; Latin: bedroom < Greek thálamos

Compare meaning

How does thalamus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hypothalamus vs. thalamus

Example Sentences

Professor Fumitaka Osakada, graduate student Masatoshi Nishimura, and their colleagues at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Nagoya University developed assembloids that model interactions between the thalamus and the cortex.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Synchronized activity was seen in PT and CT neurons, both of which send signals back to the thalamus.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Using this system, the scientists showed that the thalamus plays a central role in shaping specialized neural circuits within the human cerebral cortex.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

The cortical tissue connected to the thalamus showed signs of greater maturity, indicating that thalamus cortex communication promotes cortical growth and development.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Flower of Verbascum, with dialysis of calyx and corolla and prolonged thalamus 116  60.

From Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants by Masters, Maxwell T.