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
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. 2019 What’s more, dopamine-releasing neurons that buzzed with activity in the buildup to getting water also fired up when the monkeys were waiting to learn how big their next drop would be. — Sofia Deleniv, Discover Magazine, "When Ignorance Is Bliss," 19 Mar. 2019 Knierim's new work showed that, contrary to predictions, these content encoding neurons also fired in a location-dependent way, just in a very subjective manner. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Collating memories of what happened based on where it happened," 25 Nov. 2018 The neurons give off a faint shriek as each one expires. — John E. Mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "I'm always at the desk," 12 May 2018 Gage was a leader in proving that this process, called neurogenesis, exists in adults, and that the neurons also play a functional role. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mounting toll of Alzheimer's in lives, dollars in San Diego spelled out in reports," 20 Apr. 2018These 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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