midbrain

American

[mid-brayn] / ˈmɪdˌbreɪn /

noun

Anatomy.

the middle of the three primary divisions of the brain in the embryo of a vertebrate or the part of the adult brain derived from this tissue; mesencephalon.

midbrain British

/ ˈmɪdˌbreɪn /

noun

the nontechnical name for mesencephalon

"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

midbrain Scientific

/ mĭd′brān′ /

The middle part of the vertebrate brain. In most animals except mammals, the midbrain processes sensory information. In mammals, it serves primarily to connect the forebrain with the hindbrain.
Compare forebrain hindbrain

Etymology

Origin of midbrain

First recorded in 1870–75; mid- + brain

Vocabulary lists containing midbrain

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mid-

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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.

See Examples For:

midbrain

One population expresses a gene called Otx2 and is destined to form the forebrain and midbrain.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

This "comprehensive reference map" now serves as a global standard for evaluating how accurately midbrain models match real human biology.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2025

Associative learning, which takes place in the midbrain, can be impaired in some cases of obesity as a result of poor signaling to the brain from the GLP-1 peptides in the intestine.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2025

As a result, the system organized itself to mimic the forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain and spinal cord in a way that mirrors embryonic development.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2024

The midbrain is represented chiefly by the optic lobes, the cortex of which alone is homologous with the corpora quadragemina of the mammals.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various

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