cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a colorless liquid that is comparable to serum, is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain, and serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

Examples of cerebrospinal fluid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a healthy brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced and flows through the glymphatic system, collecting waste and toxins and clearing them out of the brain. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

During a stage of sleep called slow-wave, neurons pulse rhythmically, pumping cerebrospinal fluid through their interstitial gaps to wash themselves clean. —Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Having a large needle inserted into my spine for 20 minutes in order to collect enough cerebrospinal fluid was terrifying. —Michelle Maves, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

The flow of blood to the brain slows down, and the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid speeds up. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cerebrospinal fluid

• druid

Kids Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

ce·​re·​bro·​spi·​nal fluid

sə-ˌrē-brō-ˌspīn-ᵊl-

: a colorless fluid that occupies the cavities of the brain and spinal cord and the space between these and the membranes surrounding them

Medical Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a liquid that is comparable to serum but contains less dissolved material, that is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain by the choroid plexus, circulates through the ventricles to the spaces between the meninges about the brain and spinal cord, and is resorbed into the blood through the subarachnoid sinuses, and that serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

called also spinal fluid

compare lymph