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

Nouns

• mesencephala
  plural
• mesencephalons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mesencephalon

First recorded in 1840–50; mes- + encephalon

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mesencephalon

The mesencephalon does not differentiate into any finer divisions.

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

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

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The brain stem includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla, which correspond to the mesencephalon, metencephalon, and myelencephalon.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

In the mesencephalon the alar laminae form the corpora quadrigemina; these at first are bigeminal and hollow as they are in the lower vertebrates.

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