axon

noun

ax·​on ˈak-ˌsän 

variants or less commonly axone

ˈak-ˌsōn 

: a usually long and single nerve-cell process that usually conducts impulses away from the cell body see neuron illustration

axonal

ˈak-sə-nᵊl  ak-ˈsä-  -ˈsō- 

adjective

Examples of axon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Left says, On the corpus callosum, that massive highway of three hundred million axons, in a tiny wood hut, on the verge of collapse. —Weike Wang, New Yorker, 31 July 2025

The axon’s tips (4) release neurotransmitters that cause connected neurons to fire in turn. —Sangeeta S. Chavan, IEEE Spectrum, 9 June 2025

However, when the researchers artificially added GI-SINEs using gene therapy, these central neurons did start to regrow axons. —New Atlas, 13 July 2025

This involved delivering a pulse of alternating current with a small amplitude, and at a frequency of 2 Hz that has previously been shown to be effective in encouraging axon growth in lab settings. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 6 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin axon, from Greek axōn

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for axon

• anton
• argon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon
• coupon

Kids Definition

axon

noun

ax·​on ˈak-ˌsän 

variants also axone

-ˌsōn 

: a usually long and single process of a neuron that usually carries impulses away from the cell body compare dendrite sense 2

axonal

ˈak-sən-ᵊl 

ak-ˈsän-

-ˈsōn-

adjective

Medical Definition

axon

noun

ax·​on ˈak-ˌsän 

variants also axone

-ˌsōn 

: a usually long and single nerve-cell process that usually conducts impulses away from the cell body