cerebrum

American  

[suh-ree-bruhm, ser-uh-] / səˈri brəm, ˈsɛr ə- /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

cerebrums, plural cerebra plural

1. the anterior and largest part of the brain, consisting of two halves or hemispheres and serving to control voluntary movements and coordinate mental actions.

2. the forebrain and the midbrain.

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cerebrum British  

/ ˈsɛrɪbrəm, ˈsɛrɪbrɪk /

noun

1. the anterior portion of the brain of vertebrates, consisting of two lateral hemispheres joined by a thick band of fibres: the dominant part of the brain in man, associated with intellectual function, emotion, and personality See telencephalon

2. the brain considered as a whole

3. the main neural bundle or ganglion of certain invertebrates

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cerebrum Scientific  

/ sĕr′ə-brəm,sə-rē′brəm /

cerebrums plural

1. The largest part of the vertebrate brain, filling most of the skull and consisting of two cerebral hemispheres divided by a deep groove and joined by the corpus callosum, a transverse band of nerve fibers. The cerebrum processes complex sensory information and controls voluntary muscle activity. In humans it is the center of thought, learning, memory, language, and emotion.

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cerebrum Cultural  

1. The largest part of the brain, consisting of two lobes, the right and left cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum controls thought and voluntary movement. (See cerebral cortex, left brain, and right brain.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cerebric
  adjective
• cerebroid
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cerebra
  plural
• cerebrums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cerebrum

1605–15; < Latin: brain; akin to cranium, horn

Compare meaning

How does cerebrum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cerebrum vs. cerebral cortex
• cerebrum vs. cerebellum

Explanation

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. Your cerebrum makes it possible for you to control your muscles — but also allows you to think, feel, and speak. The brains of vertebrates are composed of a cerebrum, cerebellum, and a brainstem, each of which is vitally important. The cerebrum is what you're thinking of when you picture a brain with its two separate hemispheres. It's here that you form memories and make sense of the world around you, and it's also the cerebrum that lets you control your leg and kick a soccer ball or do a dance move. In Latin, cerebrum means "the brain."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cerebrum cerebra cerebrums

They appear to have inherited several key traits, including expansion of the cerebrum, cerebellum and optic lobes, from earlier relatives before further adapting these regions for flight, Fabbri says.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025

Navaornis had a larger cerebrum than Archaeopteryx, suggesting it had more advanced cognitive capabilities than the earliest bird-like dinosaurs.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2024

Lemon's -ism appears have taproots into the frontal cortex of his cerebrum, entangled in a way that may be impossible for any amount of "formal training" to overcome.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2023

Extrapolating from emus and ostriches, Herculano-Houzel estimated the T. rex’s cerebrum had as many as 3 billion neurons, comparable to a baboon’s brain.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 2023

It is also noticeable, that among animals, those are the most capable of being educated which have the best development of the cerebrum.

From A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene For Educational Institutions and General Readers by Hutchison, Joseph Chrisman

Especially since our greedy, oxygen-hungry cerebra owe everything to the heart’s complex, coordinated contraction.

From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2015

Editor Reedy is but casting his pearls before swine—is talking to people who, having eyes see not, having ears hear not, and whose cerebra are filled with sawdust.

From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 01 by Brann, William Cowper

For George, though you would not have suspected it from his exterior, was one of those in whose cerebra the grey matter splashes restlessly about, producing strong curtains and crisp dialogue.

From The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

There may exist somewhere in this country those hardy viewers who, with pads, pencils, reference works and receptive cerebrums, actually catalogued policy nuances and body language and advanced their state of decision.

From Time Magazine Archive

Chimpanzees, man's closest animal relatives, have larger cerebrums than most other primates, but man's is the largest.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is only the pitting of muscles and cerebrums, all under a single unifying principle: aggression.

From Time Magazine Archive

War will never cease until babies begin to come into the world with larger cerebrums and smaller adrenal glands.

From Time Magazine Archive

I was therefore forced to conclude that the atmosphere in the coffin was literally impregnated with psychic cerebrums, and that every internal organ I possessed was being subjected to the most minute inspection.

From Byways of Ghost-Land by O'Donnell, Elliott

Related Words

• head
• intellect
• mind