fusiform

American  

[fyoo-zuh-fawrm] / ˈfyu zəˌfɔrm /

adjective

1. spindle-shaped; rounded and tapering from the middle toward each end, as some roots.

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fusiform British  

/ ˈfjuːzɪˌfɔːm /

adjective

1. elongated and tapering at both ends; spindle-shaped

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Other Word Forms

• subfusiform adjective

Etymology

Origin of fusiform

1740–50; < Latin fūs ( us ) spindle + -i- + -form

Example Sentences

Scientists believe that prosopagnosia is caused by a malfunctioning in a part of the brain known as the fusiform gyrus, which is part of both the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe.

From Salon

Brain-imaging scans show that illusory faces light up a part of the brain called the “fusiform face area” that is central to all facial recognition.

From New York Times

She had a broad bulge that’s called a fusiform aneurysm, and a coil wouldn’t fix the rupture.

From Los Angeles Times

Results showed higher activity in brain regions dedicated to faces, bodies and scenes, compared with the other categories surveyed in the fusiform face area, the extrastriate body area and the parahippocampal place area, respectively.

From Scientific American

It is usually caused by damage to the fusiform gyrus in the posterior temporal lobe and anterior portion of the occipital lobe.

From Scientific American