limbic
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of limbic
First recorded in 1880–85; limb(us) 2 + -ic
Explanation
The adjective limbic describes a brain system that is largely responsible for regulating emotions. The limbic system is also where we form a lot of our memories. Limbic derives from the Latin limbus, or "edge," and it's used to describe anatomical structures that border another part. In the case of the brain, the limbic system sits along the edge of both sides of the thalamus. When it comes to emotions, your limbic system is crucial, since it regulates how you feel and how you react to those feelings, as well as affecting the way you learn, remember, and even how you identify odors.
Vocabulary lists containing limbic
Vocabulary from Readings 5, Unit 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Summer of Lost Letters
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Somewhere deep in the limbic system, a synapse fires like a flare, tracing the old circuitry of migration and memory — that annual pull toward the wide-open deserts of the American Southwest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
This persistent pattern of enhanced activation suggests some brain regions, particularly limbic areas that modulate responses to anxiety-provoking stimuli, may be less responsive to the acute effects of CBT.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024
In this process, our limbic system is activated and overrides our frontal lobe.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
And the nerve stimulation also activates parts of the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in regulating the limbic regions of the brain that control emotion.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 4, 2023
Starting around puberty, the limbic system becomes more sensitive to stimulus, which is one reason teenagers become both more emotional and more interested in having new and intense experiences.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
