cerebellum

American  

[ser-uh-bel-uhm] / ˌsɛr əˈbɛl əm /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

plural

cerebellums, cerebella

1. a large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.

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cerebellum British  

/ ˌsɛrɪˈbɛləm /

noun

1. one of the major divisions of the vertebrate brain, situated in man above the medulla oblongata and beneath the cerebrum, whose function is coordination of voluntary movements and maintenance of bodily equilibrium

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cerebellum Scientific  

/ sĕr′ə-bĕl′əm /

plural

cerebellums

1. The part of the vertebrate brain that is located below the cerebrum at the rear of the skull and that coordinates balance and muscle activity. In mammals, the cerebellum is made up of two connecting hemispheres that consist of a core of white matter surrounded by gray matter.

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cerebellum Cultural  

1. The part of the brain that helps control muscle coordination.

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Other Word Forms

• cerebellar adjective
• postcerebellar adjective
• precerebellar adjective
• subcerebellar adjective
• supercerebellar adjective

Etymology

Origin of cerebellum

1555–65; < Latin: brain, diminutive of cerebrum; cerebrum; for formation, castellum

Compare meaning

How does cerebellum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cerebrum vs. cerebellum

Example Sentences

They appear to have inherited several key traits, including expansion of the cerebrum, cerebellum and optic lobes, from earlier relatives before further adapting these regions for flight, Fabbri says.

From Science Daily

The mice gradually developed marked motor problems, experienced significant neuron loss in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, and showed strong neuroinflammatory responses.

From Science Daily

On the one hand, it suggested that researchers could stick two different kinds of organoids together -- say, a tiny cerebellum and spinal cord -- to study the development of more complex brain structures.

From Science Daily

Tremor was shown to improve with stimulation of tracts connected to the primary motor cortex and cerebellum, while bradykinesia was associated with the supplementary motor cortex.

From Science Daily

Duan found that these neurons guide the formation of a similar network of blood vessels in the cerebellum, a part of the brain that is involved in coordination, language, and sense perception.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• head
• intellect
• mind