hippocampus

noun

hip·​po·​cam·​pus ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-pəs How to pronounce hippocampus (audio)
plural hippocampi ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-ˌpī How to pronounce hippocampus (audio)
-(ˌ)pē
: a curved elongated ridge that extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, that consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and that is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory
hippocampal adjective

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The important factors that keep showing up involve a combination of stress, emotion, lack of sleep and change in routine…What happens is that the memory circuits in a vulnerable hippocampus literally get overwritten, like with a computer program. Heather Wishart-smith, Forbes, 7 June 2022 This result challenges previous studies, using other methods, that did report adult neurogenesis in the human hippocampus. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2018 The hippocampus, a brain structure highly associated with learning and memory, aged by about a year in a 60-year-old person who had one site of chronic pain compared with people with no pain. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 20 Feb. 2023 From there, information goes to the amygdala, a part of the brain that governs emotional responses; the hippocampus, a structure involved in memory; and the frontal cortex, which handles cognitive processing. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Oct. 2022 Imke Kirste recently found that silence was hugely beneficial to the hippocampus, that part of the brain associated with learning and memory. Jane Sparrow, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 People with Alzheimer's often have a shriveled hippocampus as the organ loses tissue and shrinks. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 22 Aug. 2022 The hippocampus is the part of the brain that deals with memory and navigation, among other things. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 1 Feb. 2021 There are experimental medicines, one of which our lab is working on, that stimulate neurogenesis in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub. Gary Stix, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hippocampus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek hippokampos seahorse, from hippos horse + kampos sea monster — more at equine

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hippocampus was in 1695

Dictionary Entries Near hippocampus

Cite this Entry

“Hippocampus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hippocampus. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

Medical Definition

hippocampus

noun
hip·​po·​cam·​pus ˌhip-ə-ˈkam-pəs How to pronounce hippocampus (audio)
plural hippocampi -ˌpī How to pronounce hippocampus (audio) -(ˌ)pē How to pronounce hippocampus (audio)
: a curved elongated ridge that is an important part of the limbic system, extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory see pes hippocampi

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