white matter

noun Anatomy.

nerve tissue, especially of the brain and spinal cord, which primarily contains myelinated fibers and is nearly white in color. Compare gray matter(def 1).

Origin of white matter

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby white matter

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British Dictionary definitions for white matter

white matter

noun

the whitish tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of myelinated nerve fibres Technical name: substantia alba Compare grey matter

Medical definitions for white matter

white matter

n.

Whitish nerve tissue, especially of the brain and spinal cord, chiefly composed of myelinated nerve fibers and containing few or no neuronal cell bodies or dendrites. alba substantia alba white substance

Scientific definitions for white matter

white matter

The whitish tissue of the vertebrate brain and spinal cord, made up chiefly of nerve fibers (axons) covered in myelin sheaths. Compare gray matter.