Common Terms and Word Elements for the Anatomy of the Nervous system

nerv/o

nerve

neur/o

nerve, sinew

crani/o

cranium (portion of the skull that encloses the brain)

cephal/o

head

encephal/o -encephalon

brain

cerebr/o

cerebrum (largest part of the brain), brain

cerebell/o

cerebellum

pont/o

pons (of the brain), bridge-like structure

limb/o

limbic system, border

hippocamp/o

hippocampus, seahorse

thalam/o

thalamus (mass of gray matter located in the diencephalon), chamber, inner room

amygdal/o

amygdala (almond-shaped nuclei in the temporal lobe), almond, tonsil

nucle/o

nucleus (group of neuronal cell bodies, core, little nut or kernel

mening/o, -meninx

meninx (one of the brain membranes enveloping the brain and spinal cord), membrane

lept/o

thin

pachy-, pach/o

thick

arachn/o

arachnoid membrane, spider, spider like

dur/o

dura mater membrane, hard

lob/o

lobe

gyr/o

gyrus (a convolution of the cerebrum), circle, ring

sulc/o

sulcus (groove of brain), furrow, groove

fissur/o

fissure, deep groove

fid/o, fiss/o

split; cleave

ventricul/o

ventricle, small cavity

coel/o, cel/o

cavity, hollow

cortic/o

cortex (cerebrum), outer layer, bark

myel/o

spinal cord, marrow

medull/o

medulla, narrow

poli/o

gray, gray matter of CNS

fascicul/o

fascicle, a bundle of longitudinal fibers

funicul/o

funicle, rope-like

fun/o

rope, cord

radicul/o, radic/o

nerve root, root

rhiz/o

nerve root, root

ram/o

nerve branch, branch

plex/o

plexus (interwoven network of nerves, blood, lymphatic vessels)

gangli/o

ganglion (groups of nerve cells)

gli/o

glia (supporting tissue of the nervous system), glue

somat/o, som/o, -some

body (body of neuron)

dendr/o

dendrite (part of neuron), tree, branched structure

ax/o

axon (long process of a neuron), axle, axis

not/o

the back

spin/o

spine, thorn, vertebral column

vertebr/o

vertebra, back bone

spondyl/o

vertebra