cortical

adjective

cor·​ti·​cal ˈkȯr-ti-kəl How to pronounce cortical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of cortex
2
: involving or resulting from the action or condition of the cerebral cortex
cortically adverb

Examples of cortical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rousing the portion of the vagus nerve entering the brain stem might also engage neighboring cortical areas that are involved in memory and attention, according to Elisabetta Burchi, head of translational research at the neuromodulation start-up Parasym. Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 28 Dec. 2023 The specific type of cancer that develops in the cortex of the adrenal gland is called adrenal cortical carcinoma.3 What Causes Adrenal Cancer? Korin Miller, Health, 15 Dec. 2023 Retinal and cortical neuromorphic analog circuits simulate neural networks found in the retina and the visual cortex. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Sep. 2023 Today’s digital computers are based on extremely low connectivity (with the output of one transistor wired to the input of a handful of transistors), compared with that of central nervous systems (in which a cortical neuron receives inputs and makes outputs to tens of thousands of other neurons). Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023 What happens next is trickier to nail down: Higher cortical regions are thought to tease out features specifically relevant to speech — from phonemes to prosody — in a hierarchical sequence. Quanta Magazine, 21 Oct. 2021 She was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia as a baby When Marina was 11 months old, she was diagnosed with a form of dysplasia that affected her ability to walk and talk and could cause seizures. Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023 This article is based on that interview. From CAD to brain modeling Parker’s work is focused on four areas: biomimetic neuromorphic circuits, biomimetic stereo vision, retinal and cortical neuromorphic analog circuits, and nanotechnology. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Sep. 2023 The team wanted to estimate the cortical thickness across the cortical mantle. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cortical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cortical was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near cortical

Cite this Entry

“Cortical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cortical. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

cortical

adjective
cor·​ti·​cal ˈkȯrt-i-kəl How to pronounce cortical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of cortex
cortical tissue
2
: involving or resulting from the action or condition of the cerebral cortex
cortical blindness
cortically adverb

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