cerebrospinal

adjective

ce·​re·​bro·​spi·​nal sə-ˌrē-brō-ˈspī-nᵊl How to pronounce cerebrospinal (audio)
ˌser-ə-brō-
: of or relating to the brain and spinal cord or to these together with the cranial and spinal nerves that innervate voluntary muscles

Examples of cerebrospinal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Some of these include vaccines for measles, Hepatitis A and B, tetanus, and meningococcus [a cerebrospinal infection]. Heather Gann | Hgann@al.com, al, 20 Jan. 2023 After all, cilia are typically seen in the context of fluids: propelling bacteria or other organisms through water, or moving mucus or cerebrospinal fluids in a body. Quanta Magazine, 16 Mar. 2022 Her nasal drainage was later analyzed and tested positive for beta-2 transferrin, a marker that’s found almost exclusively in cerebrospinal (aka brain) fluid. Korin Miller, Health.com, 2 Oct. 2020 People with brain tumors often wake up early with a headache because cerebrospinal fluid pressure is the highest in the early morning, Dr. Kreigler says. Korin Miller, SELF, 24 Aug. 2017 A shunt surgery to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid building up around his brain took six attempts, but the seventh succeeded. Joel Michael Reynolds, Time, 9 Aug. 2017 But other times, researchers can’t, such as a recent case study of seven survivors with neurological complications who all turned up negative for Ebola RNA in their cerebrospinal fluid. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 19 July 2017 Another option, said Metz, is a drain inserted through the skin that diverts the cerebrospinal fluid, decreasing the pressure inside the dura. Tracy Seipel, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2017 And in a small human study, other scientists have found that deep breathing significantly increases the glymphatic transport of cerebrospinal fluid into the brain. The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 21 May 2017

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

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cerebrospinal was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near cerebrospinal

Cite this Entry

“Cerebrospinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cerebrospinal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

cerebrospinal

adjective
ce·​re·​bro·​spi·​nal sə-ˌrē-brō-ˈspīn-ᵊl, ˌser-ə-brō- How to pronounce cerebrospinal (audio)
: of or relating to the brain and spinal cord or to these together with the cranial and spinal nerves that innervate voluntary muscles

More from Merriam-Webster on cerebrospinal

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