brainstem

or brain stem

[ breyn-stem ]

/ ˈbreɪnˌstɛm /

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noun

the portion of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord and comprises the medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, and parts of the hypothalamus, functioning in the control of reflexes and such essential internal mechanisms as respiration and heartbeat.

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Origin of brainstem

First recorded in 1875–80; brain + stem¹

Words nearby brainstem

brain-picking, brainpower, brain scan, brainsick, brain someone, brainstem, brainstorm, brainstorming, Brains Trust, brainteaser, Braintree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brainstem in a sentence

The locus coeruleus, an area of the brainstem, synthesizes the stress hormone norepinephrine.
Why do we keep falling for jump scares?|Ellen Airhart|October 28, 2021|Popular-Science
They knew how to trigger these retinal and brainstem neurons to pass electrical impulses—information, essentially—by projecting spots of light.
The Accident That Led to Machines That Can See - Issue 107: The Edge|Phil Jaekl|October 20, 2021|Nautilus
You say we really have two brains—the brainstem and the cortex.
Consciousness Is Just a Feeling - Issue 98: Mind|Steve Paulson|March 3, 2021|Nautilus
The cortex borrows, as it were, its consciousness from the brainstem.
Consciousness Is Just a Feeling - Issue 98: Mind|Steve Paulson|March 3, 2021|Nautilus

He makes a convincing case for paying more attention to the “densely knotted core of the brainstem.”
A brain researcher on what Freud got right|Jess Keiser|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
Brain death implies the complete and permanent absence of neurological function in the cortex and the brainstem.
Families and Physicians Debate the True Meaning of Brain Death|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Richard Joseph|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for brainstem

brainstem

/ (ˈbreɪnˌstɛm) /

noun

the stalklike part of the brain consisting of the medulla oblongata, the midbrain, and the pons Varolii

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for brainstem

brainstem

[ brān′stĕm′ ]

The part of the vertebrate brain located at the base of the brain and made up of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain. The brainstem controls and regulates vital body functions, including respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. See also reticular formation.