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cortical

American  
[kawr-ti-kuhl] / ˈkɔr tɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. Anatomy. of, pertaining to, resembling, or consisting of cortex.

  2. Physiology. resulting from the function or condition of the cerebral cortex.

  3. Botany. of or relating to the cortex.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of cortical

1665–75; < New Latin corticālis, equivalent to Latin cortic- (stem of cortex ) cortex + -ālis -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Some cortical areas showed increased receptor density, while reductions were seen in regions associated with reward processing, especially the habenula.

From Science Daily Mar. 8, 2026

The algorithm developed by Theilman and Aimone closely mirrors the structure and behavior of cortical networks.

From Science Daily Feb. 14, 2026

To assess how this interaction affected development, the team compared gene expression in the cortical region of the assembloid with that of a standalone cortical organoid.

From Science Daily Jan. 7, 2026

The researchers observed that nerve fibers from the thalamus grew toward the cortex, while cortical fibers extended toward the thalamus.

From Science Daily Jan. 7, 2026

I would like to help in that area of research, and in the search for radioisotopes that may be used in local cortical control, but I know now that I won’t have the time.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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