thalamus
[ thal-uh-muhs ]
/ ˈθæl ə məs /
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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.
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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. 2022
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
Medical definitions for thalamus
thalamus
[ thăl′ə-məs ]
n. pl. thal•a•mi (-mī′)
A large ovoid mass of gray matter that forms the larger dorsal subdivision of the diencephalon and is located medial to the internal capsule and to the body and tail of the caudate nucleus. It functions in the relay of sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.
Other words from thalamus
tha•lam′ic (thə-lăm′ĭk) adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.