myelin

my·e·lin  (m-ln) also my·e·line (-ln, -ln)

n.

A white fatty material, composed chiefly of lipids and lipoproteins, that encloses certain axons and nerve fibers. Also called medulla.

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mye·linic adj.

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myelin [my-ill-in]

Noun

a white tissue forming an insulating sheath around certain nerve fibres [Greek muelos marrow]

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myelin  (m-ln)

A whitish, fatty substance that forms a sheath around many vertebrate nerve fibers. Myelin insulates the nerves and permits the rapid transmission of nerve impulses. The white matter of the brain is composed of nerve fibers covered in myelin.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

myelin - a white fatty substance that forms a medullary sheath around the axis cylinder of some nerve fibers medulla, myeline medullary sheath, myelin sheath - a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers fat - a soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides); "pizza has too much fat"