What does "synapse" mean?

The junction between the terminal of a neuron and either another neuron or a muscle or gland cell, over which nerve impulses pass.

Synapse

Q: What is a synonym for "synapse"?

Common synonyms include: afferent neuron, autonomic nervous system, axon, brain, central nervous system, cerebral cortex.

//ˈsɪnæps// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The junction between the terminal of a neuron and either another neuron or a muscle or gland cell, over which nerve impulses pass.
2
the junction between two neurons (axon-to-dendrite) or between a neuron and a muscle wordnet

Verb

1
To form a synapse. intransitive
2
To undergo synapsis. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

afferent neuron autonomic nervous system axon brain central nervous system cerebral cortex

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek σύναψις (súnapsis, “conjunction”), from συνάπτω (sunáptō, “to clasp”). Introduced by neurophysiologist Charles Scott Sherrington.

Related phrases

nerve impulse

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.