dendrite

American  

[den-drahyt] / ˈdɛn draɪt /

noun

1. Petrology, Mineralogy.

   1. a branching figure or marking, resembling moss or a shrub or tree in form, found on or in certain stones or minerals due to the presence of a foreign material.

   2. any arborescent crystalline growth.

2. Anatomy. the branching process of a neuron that conducts impulses toward the cell.

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dendrite British  

/ ˈdɛndraɪt, dɛnˈdrɪtɪk /

noun

1. Also called: dendron.  any of the short branched threadlike extensions of a nerve cell, which conduct impulses towards the cell body

2. a branching mosslike crystalline structure in some rocks and minerals

3. a crystal that has branched during growth and has a treelike form

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dendrite Scientific  

/ dĕn′drīt′ /

1. Any of several parts branching from the body of a neuron that receive and transmit nerve impulses.

2. A mineral that has a branching crystal pattern. Dendrites often form within or on the surface of other minerals and often consist of manganese oxides.

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Other Word Forms

• dendritic
  adjective
• dendritically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of dendrite

1720–30; < Greek dendrī́tēs pertaining to a tree, equivalent to dendr- dendr- + -ītēs -ite ¹

Explanation

In biology, a dendrite is a thin fiber that extends from a nerve cell. The job of a dendrite is to pass along electric signals it receives from other cells. Cells that carry electrical signals or impulses are known as neurons, and the specialized branches on neurons that do the work of receiving and sending these signals are dendrites. Some cells have thousands of dendrites, and each carries a small electrical current when it's working. These fibers are often described as "branches," a reference to their structure — and in fact, the word dendrite comes from the Greek dendron, "tree."

Example Sentences

He and Postdoctoral Associate Hongli Wan began to develop a theory for the formation of lithium dendrite growth in 2021; it remains a matter of scientific debate, the researchers said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2023

"After we figured out that part, we proposed the idea to redesign the interlayers that would effectively suppress the lithium dendrite growth," he said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2023

For instance, everyone knows the classic snowflake shape, which is technically known as a dendrite, he says.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2023

When the action potential reaches the axon terminal, this causes the release of neurotransmitter onto the dendrite of another neuron.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Carlyle pushes his mop toward a cowering batch of them, and they skitter away on purple little dendrite legs.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman