white matter

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. nerve tissue, especially of the brain and spinal cord, which primarily contains myelinated fibers and is nearly white in color.

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white matter British  

noun

1. Technical name: substantia alba. the whitish tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of myelinated nerve fibres Compare grey matter

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white matter Scientific  

1. The whitish tissue of the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, made up chiefly of nerve fibers (axons) covered in myelin sheaths.

2. Compare gray matter

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Etymology

Origin of white matter

First recorded in 1830–40

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Compare meaning

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

• gray matter vs. white matter

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

white matter

Individual diffusion MRI scans, which can provide information about a person's white matter connections, were not available for every participant.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

It can also influence larger networks through the white matter pathways that connect different brain regions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Future investigations will explore whether additional brain imaging measurements, including white matter integrity and functional connectivity, can help identify suitable patients, improve electrode placement, and guide treatment settings.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

One striking example is white matter, the tissue containing nerve fibers that connect different brain regions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The white matter is more abundant in the hemispheres than in the median lobe, and is for the most part directly continuous with the fibres of the peduncles of the cerebellum.

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

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