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midbrain

American  
[mid-breyn] / ˈmɪdˌbreɪn /

noun

Anatomy.

  1. 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

  1. 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′ /

  1. 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.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.