neuron
[ noor-on, nyoor- ]
/ ˈnʊər ɒn, ˈnyʊər- /
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noun
Cell Biology. a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites.
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Also especially British, neu·rone [noor-ohn, nyoor-]. /ˈnʊər oʊn, ˈnyʊər-/.
Also called nerve cell.
Compare synapse.
Origin of neuron
First recorded in 1880–85, neuron is from the Greek word neûron sinew, cord, nerve
OTHER WORDS FROM neuron
neu·ron·al [noor-uh-nl, nyoor-, noo-rohn-l, nyoo-], /ˈnʊər ə nl, ˈnyʊər-, nʊˈroʊn l, nyʊ-/, adjectiveWords nearby neuron
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for neuron
Medical definitions for neuron
neuron
[ nur′ŏn′ ]
n.
Any of the impulse-conducting cells that constitute the brain, spinal column, and nerves, consisting of a nucleated cell body with one or more dendrites and a single axon.nerve cell neurocyte
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for neuron
neuron
[ nur′ŏn′ ]
A cell of the nervous system. Neurons typically consist of a cell body, which contains a nucleus and receives incoming nerve impulses, and an axon, which carries impulses away from the cell body. Also called nerve cell
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.