neuron

[ noo r-on, nyoo r- ]
/ ˈnʊər ɒn, ˈnyʊər- /

noun

Cell Biology. a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites.
Also especially British, neu·rone [noo r-ohn, nyoo r-] /ˈnʊər oʊn, ˈnyʊər-/.
Also called nerve cell.
Compare synapse.

Origin of neuron

First recorded in 1880–85, neuron is from the Greek word neûron sinew, cord, nerve

OTHER WORDS FROM neuron

neu·ron·al [noo r-uh-nl, nyoo r-, noo-rohn-l, nyoo-] /ˈnʊər ə nl, ˈnyʊər-, nʊˈroʊn l, nyʊ-/, adjective

Words nearby neuron

neuromyasthenia, neuromyelitis, neuromyelitis optica, neuromyopathy, neuromyositis, neuron, neuronal, neurone, neuronevus, neuronopathy, neuronophage

Example sentences from the Web for neuron

Medical definitions for neuron

neuron
[ nur′ŏn′ ]

n.

Any of the impulse-conducting cells that constitute the brain, spinal column, and nerves, consisting of a nucleated cell body with one or more dendrites and a single axon. nerve cell neurocyte

Scientific definitions for neuron

neuron
[ nur′ŏn′ ]

A cell of the nervous system. Neurons typically consist of a cell body, which contains a nucleus and receives incoming nerve impulses, and an axon, which carries impulses away from the cell body. Also called nerve cell