cerebrum

American  

[suh-ree-bruhm, ser-uh-] / səˈri brəm, ˈsɛr ə- /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

• cerebrums,
  plural
• cerebra
  plural

1. the anterior and largest part of the brain, consisting of two halves or hemispheres and serving to control voluntary movements and coordinate mental actions.

2. the forebrain and the midbrain.

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cerebrum British  

/ ˈsɛrɪbrəm /

noun

1. the anterior portion of the brain of vertebrates, consisting of two lateral hemispheres joined by a thick band of fibres: the dominant part of the brain in man, associated with intellectual function, emotion, and personality See telencephalon

2. the brain considered as a whole

3. the main neural bundle or ganglion of certain invertebrates

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cerebrum Scientific  

/ sĕr′ə-brəm,sə-rē′brəm /

• cerebrums
  plural

1. The largest part of the vertebrate brain, filling most of the skull and consisting of two cerebral hemispheres divided by a deep groove and joined by the corpus callosum, a transverse band of nerve fibers. The cerebrum processes complex sensory information and controls voluntary muscle activity. In humans it is the center of thought, learning, memory, language, and emotion.

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cerebrum Cultural  

1. The largest part of the brain, consisting of two lobes, the right and left cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum controls thought and voluntary movement. (See cerebral cortex, left brain, and right brain.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cerebric
  adjective
• cerebroid
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cerebra
  plural
• cerebrums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cerebrum

1605–15; < Latin: brain; akin to cranium, horn

Compare meaning

How does cerebrum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cerebrum vs. cerebellum
• cerebrum vs. cerebral cortex

Explanation

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. Your cerebrum makes it possible for you to control your muscles — but also allows you to think, feel, and speak. The brains of vertebrates are composed of a cerebrum, cerebellum, and a brainstem, each of which is vitally important. The cerebrum is what you're thinking of when you picture a brain with its two separate hemispheres. It's here that you form memories and make sense of the world around you, and it's also the cerebrum that lets you control your leg and kick a soccer ball or do a dance move. In Latin, cerebrum means "the brain."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cerebrum cerebra cerebrums

The Middle East is, among other things, like a cerebrum of the world nervous system: its exposed nerves—trade routes and oil pipelines—making it especially sensitive to the rest of the body.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

They appear to have inherited several key traits, including expansion of the cerebrum, cerebellum and optic lobes, from earlier relatives before further adapting these regions for flight, Fabbri says.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025

They found that the fish, Danionella cerebrum, drums out a powerful rhythm on an organ called a swim bladder.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2024

Lemon's -ism appears have taproots into the frontal cortex of his cerebrum, entangled in a way that may be impossible for any amount of "formal training" to overcome.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2023

It is also noticeable, that among animals, those are the most capable of being educated which have the best development of the cerebrum.

From A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene For Educational Institutions and General Readers by Joseph Chrisman Hutchison

Especially since our greedy, oxygen-hungry cerebra owe everything to the heart’s complex, coordinated contraction.

From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2015

For George, though you would not have suspected it from his exterior, was one of those in whose cerebra the grey matter splashes restlessly about, producing strong curtains and crisp dialogue.

From The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

Editor Reedy is but casting his pearls before swine—is talking to people who, having eyes see not, having ears hear not, and whose cerebra are filled with sawdust.

From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 01 by William Cowper Brann

Chimpanzees, man's closest animal relatives, have larger cerebrums than most other primates, but man's is the largest.

From Time Magazine Archive

Brain scans show their cerebrums are perfectly normal, if not extraordinary.

From Time Magazine Archive

There may exist somewhere in this country those hardy viewers who, with pads, pencils, reference works and receptive cerebrums, actually catalogued policy nuances and body language and advanced their state of decision.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is only the pitting of muscles and cerebrums, all under a single unifying principle: aggression.

From Time Magazine Archive

Indeed, it is next to impossible to shake off these superphysical cerebrums.

From Byways of Ghost-Land by Elliott O'Donnell

Related Words

• head
• intellect
• mind