hypothalamus

noun

hy·​po·​thal·​a·​mus ˌhī-pō-ˈtha-lə-məs 

: a basal part of the diencephalon that lies beneath the thalamus on each side, forms the floor of the third ventricle, and includes vital autonomic regulatory centers

Examples of hypothalamus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, one brain imaging study found that activating opioid receptors in the hypothalamus (often called the control coordinating center of the brain) partially helped with resetting the body’s internal temperature for postmenopausal women. —Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2025

Cluster headaches are rarer but more severe and are linked to changes in a brain structure called the hypothalamus and tend to occur in predictable patterns. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

The Blood Sugar Command Center Researchers turned their attention to a protein called Rap1, found in a small pocket of the brain known as the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). —William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

The hypothalamus pumps out the hormone vasopressin, which tells the kidneys to retain water rather than let it out as urine, and the SFO kicks off the thirst drive to direct the animal to drink. —Dan Samorodnitsky, Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin (in a German context), from hypo- hypo- + thalamus thalamus

Note: The term was introduced in an article by the Swiss-born anatomist Wilhelm His (1831-1904), "Ueber das frontale Ende des Gehirnrohres," Archiv für Anatomie und Physiologie: Anatomische Abtheilung, Jahrgang 1893, p. 159. His attributes the suggestion of the word to his colleague "Waldeyer" (the anatomist Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz, 1836-1921), as a replacement for his own coinage Regio subthalamica.

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypothalamus

• panoramas
• pyramus

Kids Definition

hypothalamus

noun

hy·​po·​thal·​a·​mus ˌhī-pō-ˈthal-ə-məs 

: a part of the brain that lies beneath the thalamus, produces hormones which pass to the front part of the pituitary gland, and is important in regulating the activities of the autonomic nervous system

Medical Definition

hypothalamus

noun

hy·​po·​thal·​a·​mus -ˈthal-ə-məs 

plural hypothalami -ˌmī 

: a basal part of the diencephalon that lies beneath the thalamus on each side, forms the floor of the third ventricle, and includes vital autonomic regulatory centers (as for the control of food intake)