substantia nigra

[ suh b-stan-shee-uh nahy-gruh, nig-ruh ]

/ səbˈstæn ʃi ə ˈnaɪ grə, ˈnɪg rə /

noun, plural sub·stan·ti·ae ni·grae [suhb-stan-shee-ee nahy-gree, nig-ree] /sʌbˈstæn ʃiˌi ˈnaɪ gri, ˈnɪg ri/, substantia nigras.

a deeply pigmented area of the midbrain containing dopamine-producing nerve cells.

Nearby words

substantia, substantia alba, substantia gelatinosa, substantia grisea, substantia medullaris, substantia nigra, substantial, substantialism, substantialize, substantiate, substantival

Origin of substantia nigra

1880–85; < New Latin: black substance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for substantia nigra

substantia nigra

/ (səbˈstænʃə ˈnaɪɡrə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for substantia nigra

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

Medicine definitions for substantia nigra

substantia nigra

[ nī′grə, nĭg′rə ]

n.

A layer of large pigmented nerve cells in the mesencephalon that produce dopamine and whose destruction is associated with Parkinson's disease.nigra