neuron

[ noor-on, nyoor- ]

noun
  1. 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.

Origin of neuron

1
First recorded in 1880–85, neuron is from the Greek word neûron sinew, cord, nerve
  • Also especially British, neu·rone [noor-ohn, nyoor-]. /ˈnʊər oʊn, ˈnyʊər-/.

Other words from neuron

  • neu·ron·al [noor-uh-nl, nyoor-, noo-rohn-l, nyoo-], /ˈnʊər ə nl, ˈnyʊər-, nʊˈroʊn l, nyʊ-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use neuron in a sentence

Scientific definitions for neuron

neuron

[ nurŏn′ ]


  1. 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

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