mesencephalon

[ mes-en-sef-uh-lon, -luhn, mez- ]

/ ˌmɛs ɛnˈsɛf əˌlɒn, -lən, ˌmɛz- /

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noun, plural mes·en·ceph·a·la

[mes-en-sef-uh-luh, mez-], /ˌmɛs ɛnˈsɛf ə lə, ˌmɛz-/, mes·en·ceph·a·lons.

Anatomy. the midbrain.

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Origin of mesencephalon

First recorded in 1840–50; mes- + encephalon

OTHER WORDS FROM mesencephalon

mes·en·ce·phal·ic

[mes-en-suh-fal-ik, mez-], /ˌmɛs ɛn səˈfæl ɪk, ˌmɛz-/, adjective

Words nearby mesencephalon

mesembryanthemum, mesencephalic, mesencephalic flexure, mesencephalic tegmentum, mesencephalitis, mesencephalon, mesencephalotomy, mesenchyme, mesenchymoma, mesenteric artery, mesenteric ganglion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

British Dictionary definitions for mesencephalon

mesencephalon

/ (ˌmɛsɛnˈsɛfəˌlɒn) /

noun

the part of the brain that develops from the middle portion of the embryonic neural tubeNontechnical name: midbrain Compare prosencephalon, rhombencephalon

Derived forms of mesencephalon

mesencephalic (ˌmɛsɛnsɪˈfælɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for mesencephalon

mesencephalon

[ mĕz′ĕn-sĕf′ə-lŏn′ ]

The portion of the vertebrate brain that develops from the middle section of the embryonic brain.midbrain