gray matter
noun
Anatomy.
nerve tissue, especially of the brain and spinal cord, that contains fibers and nerve cell bodies and is dark reddish-gray.
Compare white matter.
Informal.
brains or intellect.
Origin of gray matter
First recorded in 1830–40
Words nearby gray matter
gray iron,
gray jay,
gray lady,
gray manganese ore,
gray market,
gray matter,
gray mold,
gray mullet,
gray nurse shark,
gray panther,
gray parrot
Medical definitions for gray matter
gray matter
n.
Brownish-gray nerve tissue, especially of the brain and spinal cord, composed of nerve cell bodies and their dendrites and some supportive tissue.
gray substance substantia grisea
Scientific definitions for gray matter
gray matter
The brownish-gray tissue of the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, made up chiefly of the cell bodies and dendrites of neurons. Compare white matter.
Idioms and Phrases with gray matter
gray matter
Brains, intellect, as in If you'd only use your gray matter, you'd see the answer in a minute. This expression refers to actual brain tissue that is gray in color. Agatha Christie's fictional detective, Hercule Poirot, constantly alludes to using the little gray cells for solving a crime. [Late 1800s]