cortical
Americanadjective
-
Anatomy. of, pertaining to, resembling, or consisting of cortex.
-
Physiology. resulting from the function or condition of the cerebral cortex.
-
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.
Most of the fragment consists of cortical bone, the thick and dense tissue that forms the hard outer layer of bones.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The disruptions in sleep and cortical EEG activity that occur at six months, when plaques first emerge, did not worsen by 18 months, despite more than double the amount of plaque burden."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
The study also found reduced levels of cortical NAA across brain regions after some exclusions.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
The team first generated separate cortical and thalamic organoids from human iPS cells.
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
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.