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cerebellum

[ ser-uh-bel-uhm ]
/ ˌsɛr əˈbɛl əm /
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noun, plural cer·e·bel·lums, cer·e·bel·la [ser-uh-bel-uh]. /ˌsɛr əˈbɛl ə/. Anatomy, Zoology.
a large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.
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Origin of cerebellum

1555–65; <Latin: brain, diminutive of cerebrum;see cerebrum; for formation, see castellum

OTHER WORDS FROM cerebellum

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

Words related to cerebellum

head, intellect, mind, cerebrum, encephalon, gray matter, mentality, medulla oblongata, upper story, wit

British Dictionary definitions for cerebellum

cerebellum
/ (ˌsɛrɪˈbɛləm) /
noun plural -lums or -la (-lə)
one of the major divisions of the vertebrate brain, situated in man above the medulla oblongata and beneath the cerebrum, whose function is coordination of voluntary movements and maintenance of bodily equilibrium

Derived forms of cerebellum

cerebellar, adjective

Word Origin for cerebellum

C16: from Latin, diminutive of cerebrum
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 cerebellum

cerebellum
[ sĕr′ə-bĕl′əm ]
Plural cerebellums cerebella
The part of the vertebrate brain that is located below the cerebrum at the rear of the skull and that coordinates balance and muscle activity. In mammals, the cerebellum is made up of two connecting hemispheres that consist of a core of white matter surrounded by gray matter.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for cerebellum

cerebellum
[ (ser-uh-bel-uhm) ]

The part of the brain that helps control muscle coordination.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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