thalamus
[ thal-uh-muhs ]
/ ˈθæl ə məs /
Save This Word!
noun, plural thal·a·mi [thal-uh-mahy]. /ˈθæl əˌmaɪ/.
Anatomy. the middle part of the diencephalon through which sensory impulses pass to reach the cerebral cortex.
Botany. a receptacle or torus.
Also called thalamium. an apartment for women in an ancient Greek house.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of thalamus
1695–1705; <New Latin; Latin: bedroom <Greek thálamos
OTHER WORDS FROM thalamus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use thalamus in a sentence
Your ears keep working as you snooze, but what you hear goes to the thalamus, which decides whether or not it’s familiar, says Pelayo, author of How to Sleep.
He headed toward the SRB room, an intense thalamic excitement rising up inside him.
The Variable Man|Philip K. DickHis motivation had been thalamic rather than cortical and he was having trouble externalizing it verbally.
A Slave is a Slave|Henry Beam PiperSo much reliance on Indexes and thalamic-imbalance and chart-sifts!
We're Friends, Now|Henry Hasse
British Dictionary definitions for thalamus
thalamus
/ (ˈθæləməs) /
noun plural -mi (-ˌmaɪ)
either of the two contiguous egg-shaped masses of grey matter at the base of the brain
both of these masses considered as a functional unit
the receptacle or torus of a flower
Derived forms of thalamus
thalamic (θəˈlæmɪk), adjectivethalamically, adverbWord Origin for thalamus
C18: from Latin, Greek thalamos inner room; probably related to Greek tholos vault
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
Scientific definitions for thalamus
thalamus
[ thăl′ə-məs ]
Plural thalami (thăl′ə-mī′)
The part of the vertebrate brain that lies at the rear of the forebrain. It relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex and regulates the perception of touch, pain, and temperature.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for thalamus
thalamus
[ (thal-uh-muhs) ]
The part of the brain that coordinates nerve impulses relating to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, and taste.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.