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substantia nigra

[suh b-stan-shee-uh nahy-gruh, nig-ruh]
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noun, plural sub·stan·ti·ae ni·grae [suhb-stan-shee-ee nahy-gree, nig-ree] /sʌbˈstæn ʃiˌi ˈnaɪ gri, ˈnɪg ri/, substantia nigras.
  1. a deeply pigmented area of the midbrain containing dopamine-producing nerve cells.
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Origin of substantia nigra

1880–85; < New Latin: black substance
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for substantia nigra

substantia nigra

noun
  1. a layer of grey matter in the brain that produces dopamine and contains pigmented nerve cells, loss of which has been associated with Parkinson's disease
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Word Origin

C20: from Latin, literally: dark material
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
substantia nigra in Medicine

substantia nigra

(nī′grə, nĭg′rə)
n.
  1. A layer of large pigmented nerve cells in the mesencephalon that produce dopamine and whose destruction is associated with Parkinson's disease.nigra
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.