corpus cardiacum

noun

corpus car·​di·​a·​cum -kär-ˈdī-ə-kəm How to pronounce corpus cardiacum (audio)
plural corpora cardiaca -kär-ˈdī-ə-kə How to pronounce corpus cardiacum (audio)
: one of a pair of separate or fused bodies of nervous tissue in many insects that lie posterior to the brain and function in the storage and secretion of brain hormone

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, literally, "cardiac body"

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of corpus cardiacum was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near corpus cardiacum

Cite this Entry

“Corpus cardiacum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpus%20cardiacum. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

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