thalamus

American  

[thal-uh-muhs] / ˈθæl ə məs /

noun

• thalami
  plural

1. Anatomy. the middle part of the diencephalon through which sensory impulses pass to reach the cerebral cortex.

2. Botany. a receptacle or torus.

3. Also called thalamium.  an apartment for women in an ancient Greek house.

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thalamus British  

/ ˈθæləməs, θəˈlæmɪk /

noun

1. either of the two contiguous egg-shaped masses of grey matter at the base of the brain

2. both of these masses considered as a functional unit

3. the receptacle or torus of a flower

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thalamus Scientific  

/ thăl′ə-məs /

• thalami
  plural

1. 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.

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thalamus Cultural  

1. The part of the brain that coordinates nerve impulses relating to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, and taste.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• postthalamic
  adjective
• subthalamic
  adjective
• thalamic
  adjective
• transthalamic
  adjective
• thalamically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thalami
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thalamus

1695–1705; < New Latin; Latin: bedroom < Greek thálamos

Compare meaning

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

• hypothalamus vs. thalamus

Explanation

The thalamus is an egg-shaped mass of gray matter that's located in the middle of the brain. The thalamus is responsible for transmitting sensory signals between different parts of the brain. The thalamus plays a crucial role in regulating consciousness, sleep, and alertness by directing sensory information to different parts of the brain. It receives input from sensory organs such as the eyes, ears, and skin and then relays that information to other regions of the brain for further processing. This important structure, which is located near the center of the brain, gets its name from the Greek word thalamos, which means "inner chamber."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thalamus thalami

The researchers observed that nerve fibers from the thalamus grew toward the cortex, while cortical fibers extended toward the thalamus.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Earlier research in rodents has shown that the thalamus plays an important role in organizing neural circuits in the cortex.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Using this system, the scientists showed that the thalamus plays a central role in shaping specialized neural circuits within the human cerebral cortex.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

The team identified three transcriptional regulators essential for maintaining memories: Camta1 and Tcf4 in the thalamus, and Ash1l in the anterior cingulate cortex.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

The total transverse section of the crus and the fibre masses from the thalamus and basilar ganglia, does not comprise more than one-third of the entire mass.

From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Eugene S. Talbot

Their brains are fused together by a neural bridge that connects them at their respective thalami.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2018

The two thalami touch in the center in most brains as the massa intermedia, which is surrounded by the third ventricle.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The thalami are two elongated, ovoid structures on either side of the midline that make contact in the middle.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

In the floor of the thalamencephalon are two masses of ganglionic tissue, the optic thalami.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various

Immediately in front of the corpora quadrigemina, the white fibres of the posterior commissure pass across between the two optic thalami.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various