hip·po·cam·pus (h p  -k m ps)n. pl. hip·po·cam·pi (-p  ) A ridge in the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain that consists mainly of gray matter and has a central role in memory processes. [Late Latin, a sea horse with a horse's forelegs and a dolphin's tail (from its shape in cross section), from Greek hippokampos : hippos, horse; see ekwo- in Indo-European roots + kampos, sea monster.] hip po·campal (-pl) adj. |
hippocampus [ˌhɪpəʊˈkæmpəs]
n pl -pi [-paɪ]
1. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) a mythological sea creature with the forelegs of a horse and the tail of a fish
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) any marine teleost fish of the genus Hippocampus, having a horselike head See sea horse
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) an area of cerebral cortex that forms a ridge in the floor of the lateral ventricle of the brain, which in cross section has the shape of a sea horse. It functions as part of the limbic system
[from Latin, from Greek hippos horse + kampos a sea monster]
hippocampal adj
| hippocampus (hp-kmps) Plural hippocampi (h p-kmp) A convoluted, seahorse-shaped structure in the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe of the brain, composed of two gyri with white matter above gray matter. It forms part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing of emotions and memory. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | hippocampus - a complex neural structure (shaped like a sea horse) consisting of grey matter and located on the floor of each lateral ventricle; intimately involved in motivation and emotion as part of the limbic system; has a central role in the formation of memories neural structure - a structure that is part of the nervous system limbic brain, limbic system, visceral brain - a system of functionally related neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior |
| 2. |  Hippocampus - seahorses fish genus - any of various genus of fish family Syngnathidae, Syngnathidae - pipefishes |
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