neuron

especially British, neu·rone
especially British,

[noor-on, nyoor-]

noun

1. Cell Biology.,  a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites.

neuron

1. A cell of the nervous system. Neurons typically consist of a cell body, which contains a nucleus and receives incoming nerve impulses, and an axon, which carries impulses away from the cell body.

2. Also called nerve cell

Other Word Forms

• neuronal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of neuron¹

First recorded in 1880–85, neuron is from the Greek word neûron sinew, cord, nerve

Example Sentences

In the brain, it damages neurons, but in the immune system, it appears to make immune cells stronger.

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These neurons are activated in persistent pain states, but they also process signals related to hunger, fear, and thirst.

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It has about 86 billion neurons and 600 trillion synapses, many more than the artificial equivalents.

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An engram can be viewed as a sparse ensemble of neurons across multiple regions in the brain that fire together.

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"When you start to say, 'I'm going to use a neuron like a little machine', it's a different view of our own brain and it makes you question what we are."

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