myelin

American  

[mahy-uh-lin] / ˈmaɪ ə lɪn /

Also myeline

noun

Biology.

1. a soft, white, fatty material in the membrane of Schwann cells and certain neuroglial cells: the substance of the myelin sheath.

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myelin British  

/ ˈmaɪɪˌliːn, ˈmaɪɪlɪn /

noun

1. a white tissue forming an insulating sheath ( myelin sheath ) around certain nerve fibres. Damage to the myelin sheath causes neurological disease, as in multiple sclerosis

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myelin Scientific  

/ mī′ə-lĭn /

1. A whitish, fatty substance that forms a sheath around many vertebrate nerve fibers. Myelin insulates the nerves and permits the rapid transmission of nerve impulses. The white matter of the brain is composed of nerve fibers covered in myelin.

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Other Word Forms

• myelinic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of myelin

First recorded in 1865–70; myel- + -in ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

myelin

MS is a disease of the brain and central nervous system, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the fatty myelin sheath that normally protects the nerves, like insulation around electric wires.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Their brains also showed higher levels of myelin around nerve fibers.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026

These metabolites support the growth and maturation of oligodendrocytes, which in turn helps rebuild the myelin sheath.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026

Reduced blood flow to the brain, which becomes more common with age, can also harm myelin and contribute to conditions such as cerebral small vessel disease and vascular dementia.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026

Throughout adolescence, the brain is busily lining important neural pathways with a fatty sheath called myelin.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater