encephal-

American  

1. variant of encephalo- before a vowel.

   encephalic.

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Usage

What does encephal- mean? Encephal- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “brain.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy. Encephal- comes from the Greek enképhalos, meaning “brain." Literally, enképhalos means "in (en-) the head (kephalē).” Isn’t that where you find the brain?!Encephal- is a variant of encephalo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use encephalo- article.