metencephalon

American

[met-en-sef-uh-lon] / ˌmɛt ɛnˈsɛf əˌlɒn /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

metencephalons, metencephala

the anterior section of the hindbrain, comprising the cerebellum and pons.

metencephalon British

/ ˌmɛtɛnsɪˈfælɪk, ˌmɛtɛnˈsɛfəˌlɒn /

noun

the part of the embryonic hindbrain that develops into the cerebellum and pons Varolii

"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

Other Word Forms

metencephalic adjective

Etymology

Origin of metencephalon

First recorded in 1870–75; met- + encephalon

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A constriction also occurs in the hind vesicle or rhombencephalon, dividing it into an anterior part, the metencephalon, from which the cerebellum is developed, and a posterior or myelencephalon, the primitive medulla oblongata.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023