mesencephalon

American  

[mes-en-sef-uh-lon, -luhn, mez-] / ˌmɛs ɛnˈsɛf əˌlɒn, -lən, ˌmɛz- /

noun

mesencephala, plural mesencephalons plural

1. Anatomy. the midbrain.

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mesencephalon British  

/ ˌmɛsɛnsɪˈfælɪk, ˌmɛsɛnˈsɛfəˌlɒn /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: midbrain.  the part of the brain that develops from the middle portion of the embryonic neural tube Compare prosencephalon rhombencephalon

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mesencephalic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• mesencephala
  plural
• mesencephalons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mesencephalon

First recorded in 1840–50; mes- + encephalon

Example Sentences

The mesencephalon, metencephalon, and myelencephalon become the brain stem.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The structures that come from the mesencephalon and rhombencephalon, except for the cerebellum, are collectively considered the brain stem,

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Whereas prosencephalon and mesencephalon translate into the English words forebrain and midbrain, there is not a word for “four-sided-figure-brain.”

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The mesencephalon does not differentiate into any finer divisions.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The first is known as the cephalic, and is caused by the prosencephalon bending sharply downward, below and in front of the mesencephalon.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various