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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The tip of the axon, called a growth cone, senses chemicals drifting by. —

Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2011 The synapse is the space that separates a dendrite or axon from another cell. —

IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2023 Advertisement Tessier-Lavigne is best known for his work in the 1990s on identifying axon guidance molecules, proteins that direct nerve fiber growth in the embryonic brain and spinal cord. —

Byjocelyn Kaiser, science.org, 6 Apr. 2023 Those molecules bind to olfactory sensory neurons, which then send a signal by way of an axon, a long tail that threads through the skull and delivers that message to the brain, which registers the molecules as, say, coffee, leather, or rotting lettuce. —

Sara Harrison, National Geographic, 5 Aug. 2020 In living neurons, electrochemical signals travel down a long, slender stalk, called an axon, to protrusions called dendrites. —

Adam Piore, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2013 Scientists typically think of neurons as sending signals via a long structure called an axon and receiving signals in their shorter dendrites. —

Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2023 The axon translates raw brain signals from the node into standard commands that work with any Bluetooth device. —

Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 The main body of the neuron conveys those pulses to an outgoing arm, or axon, which splits into numerous branches, each of which nearly touches other neurons. —

Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019 See More

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