grey matter
Britishnoun
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Technical name: substantia grisea. the greyish tissue of the brain and spinal cord, containing nerve cell bodies, dendrites, and bare (unmyelinated) axons Compare white matter
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informal brains or intellect
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.
The scientists collected urine and saliva samples from the women on five occasions and discovered that, in some cases, rising oestrogen levels tracked closely with the reduction in grey matter.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
It suggests that grey matter - the nerve-rich part of the brain involved in processing information, emotions and empathy - decreases by an average of nearly 5% during pregnancy.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
They examined grey matter, which consists of neuron cell bodies and is often described as the brain’s “thinking” tissue.
From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026
These shifts in grey matter volume were identified as a key part of healthy brain development.
From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026
The Layer of Polymorphous Cells.—The cells of this layer are irregular in outline, and give off several dendrites branching into the surrounding grey matter.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various
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.
