What does "thalamus" mean?

Either of two large, ovoid structures of grey matter within the forebrain that relay sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.

What is a synonym for "thalamus"?

Common synonyms include: cerebellum, cerebral cortex, cerebrum, convolution, fissure, gray matter.

//ˈθæləməs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Either of two large, ovoid structures of grey matter within the forebrain that relay sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.
2
large egg-shaped structures of grey matter that form the dorsal subdivision of the diencephalon wordnet
3
The receptacle of a flower; a torus.
4
A thallus.
5
An inner room or nuptial chamber.

From Latin thalamus, from Ancient Greek θάλαμος (thálamos, “an inner chamber, a bedroom, a bed”).

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