mammillary

[mam-uh-ler-ee]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a mammilla.

Other Word Forms

• intermammillary adjective
• postmammillary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammillary¹

First recorded in 1605–15; mammill(a) + -ary

Example Sentences

Compared with the mammillary layer, the osteopontin-rich layers had smaller nanometre-scale structures of calcium carbonate, making them denser and harder.

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In the final days of incubation, the nanostructures in the mammillary layer and the middle layer shrink.

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Wright, N. F., Erichsen, J. T., Vann, S. D., O’Mara, S. M. & Aggleton, J. P. Parallel but separate inputs from limbic cortices to the mammillary bodies and anterior thalamic nuclei in the rat.

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The investigations focused their inquiry on the mammillary bodies, two structures on the underside of the brain so named because they resemble small breasts.

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Mammillary bodies are thought to be an important part of the memory and have long been associated with cases of amnesia.

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