neuron
noun
neu·ron
| \ ˈnü-ˌrän
, ˈnyü-; ˈnu̇r-ˌän, ˈnyu̇r-
\
, ˈnyü-; ˈnu̇r-ˌän, ˈnyu̇r-
\
Definition of neuron
: a grayish or reddish granular cell that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue transmitting and receiving nerve impulses and having cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons which conduct impulses to and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
Illustration of neuron
neuron: 1 cell body, 2 dendrite, 3 axon, 4 nerve ending
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Other Words from neuron
neuronal
\ ˈnu̇r-ə-nᵊl
, ˈnyu̇r- ; nu̇-ˈrō-nᵊl , nyu̇-
\
or less commonly neuronic \ nu̇-ˈrä-nik
, nyu̇- \
adjective
, ˈnyu̇r- ; nu̇-ˈrō-nᵊl , nyu̇-
\
or less commonly neuronic \ nu̇-ˈrä-nik
, nyu̇- \
adjective
Examples of neuron in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What would neurons be without the glial cells that surround and support them? — Jennifer Leman, Scientific American, "The Brain in Images: Top Entries in the Art of Neuroscience," 29 July 2019 Software can, though, detect patterns when the individual those neurons are in does certain things. — The Economist, "Elon Musk wants to link brains directly to machines," 18 July 2019 One hundred million simulated neurons would be on par with the Ansell’s mole rat, described as a species of rodent native to Zambia that's noted for its tunnels that can stretch over two kilometers long. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel connects 64 Loihi 'brain chips' together and hands them off to researchers," 15 July 2019 In their scheme, as sensory neurons fire in response to an unfolding event, the brain maps the temporal component of that activity to some intermediate representation of the experience—a Laplace transform, in mathematical terms. — Wired, "How the Brain Keeps Its Memories in the Right Order," 17 Feb. 2019 The neuron in the center (yellow) contains an abnormal intracellular accumulation of huntingtin called an inclusion body (orange). — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Huntington’s disease triggered by genetic instability in brain cells, study finds," 15 Aug. 2019 Of the 500 million neurons inside an octopus, 350 million of them are in its eight arms. — Fox News, "Key to understanding aliens might be unlocked by octopus' tentacles," 2 July 2019 The cerebellum, by contrast, has roughly half the total neurons in the brain, and yet people can survive with severe damage to it. — Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: How Do Wights Work?," 26 Apr. 2019 The neurons that are required to be able to feel pain don't exist. — Julyssa Lopez, Glamour, "What Unplanned Gets Wrong About Abortion, According to Experts," 11 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'neuron.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for neuron
neuron
noun
English Language Learners Definition of neuron
medical
: a cell that carries messages between the brain and other parts of the body and that is the basic unit of the nervous system
See the full definition for neuron in the English Language Learners Dictionary
neuron
noun
neu·ron
| \ ˈnü-ˌrän
, ˈnyü-\
, ˈnyü-\
Kids Definition of neuron
neuron
noun
neu·ron
| \ ˈn(y)ü-ˌrän
, ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
\
, ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
\
variants:
also neurone \ -ˌrōn, -ˌōn
\
\
Medical Definition of neuron
: one of the cells that constitute nervous tissue, that have the property of transmitting and receiving nerve impulses, and that are composed of somewhat reddish or grayish protoplasm with a large nucleus containing a conspicuous nucleolus, irregular cytoplasmic granules, and cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons and which conduct impulses toward and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
Other Words from neuron
neuronal
\ ˈn(y)u̇r-ən-ᵊl
, n(y)u̇-ˈrōn-ᵊl
\
also neuronic \ n(y)u̇-ˈrän-ik
\
adjective
, n(y)u̇-ˈrōn-ᵊl
\
also neuronic \ n(y)u̇-ˈrän-ik
\
adjective
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