hippocampus

noun
hip·​po·​cam·​pus | \ ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-pəs How to pronounce hippocampus (audio) \
plural hippocampi\ ˌhi-​pə-​ˈkam-​ˌpī How to pronounce hippocampi (audio) , -​(ˌ)pē \

Definition of hippocampus

: a curved elongated ridge that extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, that consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and that is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory

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Other Words from hippocampus

hippocampal \ ˌhi-​pə-​ˈkam-​pəl How to pronounce hippocampal (audio) \ adjective

Examples of hippocampus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tumor, which turned out to be cancerous, was in my left temporal lobe, specifically the hippocampus and amygdala. Health.com, "For 6 Years, Doctors Kept Telling Me I Had PMS—but It Turned Out to Be Brain Cancer," 31 July 2019 The hippocampus is a small curl of brain, which nests beneath each temple. Bret Stetka, Scientific American, "Our Brain Uses a Not-So-Instant Replay to Make Decisions," 27 June 2019 That timeline could be of use not just to episodic memory in the hippocampus, but to working memory in the prefrontal cortex and conditioning responses in the striatum. Jordana Cepelewicz, WIRED, "How the Brain Keeps Its Memories in the Right Order," 17 Feb. 2019 The hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory formation. Time, "Is Sugar as Bad for Kids as It Is for Adults?," 1 Aug. 2019 So the hippocampus keeps track of where all of that stuff is. Brian Resnick, Vox, "Is GPS really ruining our brains?," 24 July 2019 Complaining has been found to shrink the hippocampus, the area of the brain critical to problem solving and intelligent thought, by physically peeling away neurons. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Stop Complaining, It’s Literally Shrinking Your Brain," 17 July 2019 Researchers originally identified ripples in the hippocampus, a region crucially involved in memory and navigation, as central to diverting recollections to long-term memory during sleep. Simon Makin, Scientific American, "Better Memory Through Electrical Brain Ripples," 14 June 2019 The olfactory bulb sends information to the amygdala, which is involved with experiencing emotions, and the hippocampus, the memory center. April Long, Marie Claire, "Aromatherapy Perfumes: Do They Really Work?," 20 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hippocampus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of hippocampus

1695, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for hippocampus

New Latin, from Greek hippokampos seahorse, from hippos horse + kampos sea monster — more at equine

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More Definitions for hippocampus

hippocampus

noun
hip·​po·​cam·​pus | \ ˌhip-ə-ˈkam-pəs How to pronounce hippocampus (audio) \
plural hippocampi\ -​ˌpī How to pronounce hippocampi (audio) , -​(ˌ)pē How to pronounce hippocampi (audio) \

Medical Definition of hippocampus

: a curved elongated ridge that is an important part of the limbic system, extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory — see pes hippocampi