dendritic

adjective

den·​drit·​ic (ˌ)den-ˈdri-tik How to pronounce dendritic (audio)
: resembling or having dendrites : branching like a tree
a dendritic drainage system
dendritic cells

Examples of dendritic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For instance, coupling the drug with something else that helps those new dendritic spines survive could prolong ketamine’s effects. Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019 When researchers at Stanford University grew human neurons in a dish and treated them with blood serum from young mice, the neurons formed more synapses, which transmit electrical and chemical signals between cells, as well as more dendritic branches, which pick up messages from other neurons. Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2022 Using four large sets of MRI data, her team identified, in each data set, several features with the greatest difference between males and females, such as the collective volume of the nerve cells’ central bodies and dendritic extensions (gray matter) and their connecting fibers (white matter). Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2017 One in a class of psychedelic-like medicines, ketamine joins LSD, ecstasy and psilocybin whose ability to create new connections in the brain — dendritic spines and axons — has provided researchers with a new understanding of the nature of depression and its cure. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2022 Two psychoactive compounds that combat depression and addiction in some people—LSD and ketamine—seem to help the neurons in this part of the brain communicate better by promoting the growth of dendritic spines, small protrusions from neurons that help neurons talk to each other. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 9 Dec. 2020 One phenomenon worth mentioning: Check out how smoke has filled in some of the valleys, highlighting their dendritic nature. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 23 July 2018 Interestingly, the brain didn’t just restore dendritic spines willy nilly. Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019 Lymph nodes are loaded with T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages — all cells that are involved in identifying and mounting a response to infection. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 2 July 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dendritic.' 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

1816, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dendritic was in 1816

Dictionary Entries Near dendritic

Cite this Entry

“Dendritic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dendritic. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

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