Hippocampus
noun
noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.
- 2 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 wordnet
- 3 A part of the brain located inside the temporal lobe, consisting mainly of grey matter. It is a component of the limbic system and plays a role in memory and emotion.
"Holonyms: limbic system < brain < central nervous system, CNS"
Example
More examples""We found that physical activity has the potential to preserve the volume of the hippocampus in those with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease, which means we can possibly delay cognitive decline and the onset of dementia symptoms in these individuals," he said."
Etymology
From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus.
Related phrases
More for "hippocampus"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.