Wernicke's area

American  

[wur-ni-kuhz air-ee-uh, vair-ni-keez] / ˈwɜr nɪ kəz ˌɛər i ə, ˈvɛər nɪ kiz /

noun

Anatomy.

1. a portion of the left posterior temporal lobe of the brain, including the posterior of the superior temporal gyrus and adjacent areas, and associated with the ability to understand words.

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Wernicke's area Scientific  

/ vĕr′nĭ-kēz,-kəz /

1. An area located in the rear of the left temporal lobe of the brain. It is associated with the ability to recognize and understand spoken language. It is named for its discoverer, German neurologist and psychologist Carl Wernicke (1848–1905).

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Etymology

Origin of Wernicke's area

First recorded in 1905–10; after German neurologist Karl Wernicke (1848–1905), who discovered it

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Wernicke's area

In the second stage, the network was trained to reproduce Broca's area, which, under the influence of Wernicke's area, is responsible for producing and articulating words.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024

The procedure was successful — the tumor was removed from her brain’s Wernicke’s area — but there were some side effects: The former soprano developed epilepsy and also now finds communication challenging.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

“I can’t read it!” she says in relief—he’s only a night terror, since, she explains, Wernicke’s area, the part of the brain that interprets language, is dormant during sleep.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 4, 2019

The auditory association area is located within the temporal lobe of the brain, in an area called the Wernicke’s area, or area 22.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

In your brain, Broca's area may let you speak and Wernicke's area may let you understand, but listening is also a complicated social behavior.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman