Schwann cell

noun

, Biology.

1. a cell of the peripheral nervous system that wraps around a nerve fiber, jelly-roll fashion, forming the myelin sheath.

Schwann cell

/ shwän,shvän /

1. Any of the cells that cover the axons in the peripheral nervous system and form the myelin sheath.
2. See more at myelin

Word History and Origins

Origin of Schwann cell¹

1930–35; after T. Schwann, who first described it