neuroscience
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- neuroscientific adjective
- neuroscientist noun
Etymology
Origin of neuroscience
Explanation
Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system. If you're interested in the way human brains work, you might want to study neuroscience. The scientific field of neuroscience started out as a branch of biology, although people have been fascinated with the brain at least since ancient Egyptians studied the effects of drilling small holes in the skull to treat mental disorders. Today neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, involving chemistry, linguistics, and genetics, among many other disciplines. Neuroscience has roots in the Greek neuro, "nerve," and Latin scientia, "knowledge."
Vocabulary lists containing neuroscience
Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Psychology
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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.
Even with major advances in neuroscience, scientists have yet to explain how subjective experience arises from physical brain processes.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
The deal fits neatly into Lilly’s neuroscience business that already includes Alzheimer’s disease treatment Kisunla and the migraine shot Emgality.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
Clare Mackay, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said the condition could be very severe and result in people pulling out all of their hair.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
What makes this especially frustrating from a neuroscience perspective is that the gut-brain axis is one of the most pharmacologically sensitive systems in the body.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026
Indeed, even to be seriously considered by Nature underscored the real-world applications of this new generation of neuroscience.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
