Wernicke's area

American  

[wur-ni-kuhz air-ee-uh, vair-ni-keez] / ˈwɜr nɪ kəz ˌɛər i ə, ˈvɛər nɪ kiz /

noun

Anatomy.

1. a portion of the left posterior temporal lobe of the brain, including the posterior of the superior temporal gyrus and adjacent areas, and associated with the ability to understand words.

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Wernicke's area Scientific  

/ vĕr′nĭ-kēz,-kəz /

1. An area located in the rear of the left temporal lobe of the brain. It is associated with the ability to recognize and understand spoken language. It is named for its discoverer, German neurologist and psychologist Carl Wernicke (1848–1905).

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Etymology

Origin of Wernicke's area

First recorded in 1905–10; after German neurologist Karl Wernicke (1848–1905), who discovered it

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Wernicke's area

In the first stage of the experiment, the neuroscientists trained this network to simulate Wernicke's area, the part of our brain that enables us to perceive and interpret language.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024

The procedure was successful — the tumor was removed from her brain’s Wernicke’s area — but there were some side effects: The former soprano developed epilepsy and also now finds communication challenging.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

“I can’t read it!” she says in relief—he’s only a night terror, since, she explains, Wernicke’s area, the part of the brain that interprets language, is dormant during sleep.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 4, 2019

If your task makes greater demands on language, however, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area are more likely to be recruited.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 19, 2013

This part of the brain, called Wernicke’s area, is the part that “hears” and decodes language.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

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