limbic
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of limbic
First recorded in 1880–85; limb(us) 2 + -ic
Explanation
The adjective limbic describes a brain system that is largely responsible for regulating emotions. The limbic system is also where we form a lot of our memories. Limbic derives from the Latin limbus, or "edge," and it's used to describe anatomical structures that border another part. In the case of the brain, the limbic system sits along the edge of both sides of the thalamus. When it comes to emotions, your limbic system is crucial, since it regulates how you feel and how you react to those feelings, as well as affecting the way you learn, remember, and even how you identify odors.
Vocabulary lists containing limbic
Vocabulary from Readings 5, Unit 1
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The Summer of Lost Letters
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The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
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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 nine-banded armadillo, which depends heavily on smell, has a very large limbic system.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Somewhere deep in the limbic system, a synapse fires like a flare, tracing the old circuitry of migration and memory — that annual pull toward the wide-open deserts of the American Southwest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
Lewy bodies, deposits of alpha-synuclein protein, are found in the brainstem, limbic system and cerebral cortex.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2024
The MCI patients had up to 25% lower serotonin transporter levels in cortical and limbic regions than healthy controls.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 7, 2023
Starting around puberty, the limbic system becomes more sensitive to stimulus, which is one reason teenagers become both more emotional and more interested in having new and intense experiences.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
