axon

American  

[ak-son] / ˈæk sɒn /

Also axone

noun

1. Cell Biology. the appendage of the neuron that transmits impulses away from the cell body.

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axon British  

/ ˈæksəʊn, ˈæksɒn /

noun

1. the long threadlike extension of a nerve cell that conducts nerve impulses from the cell body Compare dendrite

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axon Scientific  

/ ăk′sŏn′ /

1. The long portion of a neuron that conducts impulses away from the body of the cell.

2. Also called nerve fiber

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axon Cultural  

1. The part of a nerve cell or neuron that transfers a nerve impulse from the nerve cell body to a synapse with another cell. (See action potential.) Depending on the location of the cell, the length of an axon can vary widely. In some cases (such as the axons that form the spinal cord), they may be several feet long.

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Usage

What is an axon? The axon is the part of the neuron that carries impulses away from the cell body. Neurons are the cells that gather information in the form of impulses and send them throughout the body. The neuron is made up of the cell body, the dendrites, and the axon. The axon, also called the nerve fiber, resembles a long, threadlike fiber. Most neurons only have a single axon. In vertebrates, the axon is covered by a myelin sheath made mostly of fat, protein, and water. The sheath increases the speed that impulses travel. The axon’s job is to move the impulses away from the cell body to another neuron or a muscle. The travel process is similar to electricity moving down a wire. At the end of an axon are bulbous structures called axon terminals, which form special junctions that connect the axon to other neurons or muscles. These junctions, called synapses, involve tiny gaps that the impulse jumps over to leave the axon. The impulse then travels through the new neuron and will eventually move through another axon. This process will repeat until the impulse reaches its destination.

Other Word Forms

• axonal
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of axon

1835–45; < New Latin < Greek áxōn an axle, axis; akin to Latin axis

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Explanation

An axon is a thin fiber that conducts electrical impulses away from a neuron, or nerve cell. Axons are an important part of the nervous system. Your nervous system is what your brain uses to send and receive information about what's going on in and around your body. Neurons, specialized cells that transmit and receive nerve impulses, are made up of dendrites, which bring in electrical signals, and axons, which send them out. Axon gained this meaning in 1899—earlier, it meant "skeletal axis of the body," from the Greek meaning of axon, "axis."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

axon

One particularly extraordinary axon had a total reconstructed length of 70.32 centimeters, making it part of the longest single neuron ever measured in a mouse.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

The project supports computational models of how a neuron's physical properties and incoming signals affect its axon, followed by tests in mouse tissue and cell cultures.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

This was not a direct replication of the pearling study, but it provides another tool for investigating how axon size is controlled.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Their work revealed a network of genes that acts like a biological switch, limiting axon growth as neurons mature and form synapses.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

The giant axon of the Woods Hole squid became the apparatus for the creation of today's astonishing neurobiology.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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