amygdala
[uh-mig-duh-luh]
- an almond-shaped part, as a tonsil.
- a ganglion of the limbic system adjoining the temporal lobe of the brain and involved in emotions of fear and aggression.
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Origin of amygdala
before 950; < Medieval Latin: almond, tonsil, Latin: almond < Greek amygdálē; replacing Middle English amygdal, Old English amigdal almond < Latin amygdalon < Greek amýgdalon; cf. almond
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for amygdala
Contemporary Examples
Psychopaths lack fear, conscience, and morality—functions critically subserved by the amygdala.
One limbic structure affected by this early maldevelopment is the amygdala, which generates emotions like fear.
His aorta and amygdala do not receive this information by automatic transfer.
That suggests that “the amygdala is quite sensitive to the quality of maternal care,” says Lupien.
These feelings are stored separately, in the brain region called the amygdala.
Historical Examples
The common English name is from the Latin amandola, corrupted from amygdala.
The Nut CulturistAndrew S. Fuller
amygdala
- anatomy an almond-shaped part, such as a tonsil or a lobe of the cerebellum
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Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin: almond
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for amygdala
n.
"the tonsils," 1540s (amygdal), from Latin, from Greek amygdale "almond" (see almond). The anatomical use is as a direct translation of Arabic al-lauzatani "the two tonsils," literally "the two almonds," so called by Arabic physicians for fancied resemblance. From early 15c. as amygdales "tonsils;" as "almonds" from mid-12c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
amygdala
(ə-mĭg′də-lə)- One of two small, almond-shaped masses of gray matter that are part of the limbic system and are located in the temporal lobes of the cerebral hemispheres.amygdaloid nucleus
- The cerebellar tonsil.
- Any of the lymphatic tonsils.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
amygdala
[ə-mĭg′də-lə]
- An almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the front part of the temporal lobe of the cerebrum that is part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing and expression of emotions, especially anger and fear.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.