thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈtha-lə-məs 

plural thalami ˈtha-lə-ˌmī  -ˌmē 

: the largest subdivision of the diencephalon that consists chiefly of an ovoid mass of nuclei in each lateral wall of the third ventricle and serves chiefly to relay impulses and especially sensory impulses to and from the cerebral cortex see brain illustration

thalamic

thə-ˈla-mik 

adjective

Examples of thalamus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike with the other senses, smell information doesn’t pass through the thalamus, an evolutionarily more recent brain region that relays sensory information to other parts of the brain for processing. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 3 July 2025

The key areas affected included the thalamus, basal ganglia, brainstem, and insular cortex, known to be involved in impulse control, emotional regulation, and behavioral inhibition. —New Atlas, 26 June 2025

The thalamus acts as a control center and transmits sensory signals to various areas of the cerebral cortex. —Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025

Greg Pearson, in New Jersey, had electrodes implanted in his thalamus in 2005 as part of a study by Schiff and Giacino. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek thalamos chamber

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thalamus

• calamus

Kids Definition

thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈthal-ə-məs 

plural thalami -ˌmī 

-ˌmē

: a subdivision of the forebrain that receives nerve impulses and sends them on to the appropriate parts of the brain cortex

Medical Definition

thalamus

noun

thal·​a·​mus ˈthal-ə-məs 

plural thalami -ˌmī  -ˌmē 

: the largest subdivision of the diencephalon that consists chiefly of an ovoid mass of nuclei in each lateral wall of the third ventricle and serves to relay impulses and especially sensory impulses to and from the cerebral cortex