hippocampus

American  

[hip-uh-kam-puhs] / ˌhɪp əˈkæm pəs /

noun

plural

hippocampi

1. Classical Mythology. a fish-tailed horse of the sea that was ridden by the sea gods.

2. Anatomy. an enfolding of cerebral cortex into the lateral fissure of a cerebral hemisphere, having a major role in learning, emotion, and memory, and named for the seahorse shape of its cross section.

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hippocampus British  

/ ˌhɪpəʊˈkæmpəs /

noun

1. a mythological sea creature with the forelegs of a horse and the tail of a fish

2. any marine teleost fish of the genus Hippocampus, having a horselike head See sea horse

3. an area of cerebral cortex that forms a ridge in the floor of the lateral ventricle of the brain, which in cross section has the shape of a sea horse. It functions as part of the limbic system

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hippocampus Scientific  

/ hĭp′ə-kăm′pəs /

plural

hippocampi

1. A convoluted, seahorse-shaped structure in the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe of the brain, composed of two gyri with white matter above gray matter. It forms part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing of emotions and memory.

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Other Word Forms

• hippocampal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hippocampus

First recorded in 1575–80; from Latin hippocampus, hippocampos, from Greek hippókampos, equivalent to hippo- hippo- + kámpos “sea monster”

Explanation

A hippocampus is a complex neural structure that's part of the brain. Your brain has two hippocampi, and they're important for memories and emotions. This word has a complex history. Originally, it meant a seahorse, and it has also meant a small fish that resembles a seahorse. That resemblance is why the brain structures known as the hippocampus major and hippocampus minor have that name: they look kind of like seahorses too. The hippocampi are found on the floor of your brain's ventricles, and they are vital to feeling and remembering. Without your hippocampi, you wouldn't be who you are.

Example Sentences

Hippocampus shrinkage on its own accounted for 10% of the difference in cognitive decline.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023

I then dipped into various old and new collections of Howardian criticism, several from Hippocampus Press and Pulp Hero Press.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2021

His boat is named the Hippocampus, after Neptune’s horse.

From Washington Times • Mar. 28, 2020

That response took the form of “Indelible in the Hippocampus: Writings From the Me Too Movement,” an anthology edited by Oria that brings the digital #MeToo movement into book form.

From Salon • Sep. 22, 2019

The Hippocampus lays large, semi-transparent eggs through which the Tadfoal may be seen.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling