Neuron Meaning
/ˈn(j)ʊɹɑn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA cell of the nervous system, which conducts nerve impulses; consisting of an axon and several dendrites. Neurons are connected by synapses.
nounA nervure of an insect's wing.
Sentence Examples
Not a single neuron appeared to be firing.
A neuron has dendrites and axons with synapses.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tiny ____ sends electrical signals from the brain to the muscles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ is a specialized cell that transmits electrical signals through the body.
Word Origin & History
From New Latin, from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “nerve”), doublet of nerve and sinew. By surface analysis, neuro- + -on.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure."
— 2013 August 3, “The machine of a new soul”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The tiny ____ sends electrical signals from the brain to the muscles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ is a specialized cell that transmits electrical signals through the body.