Language of Neuroanatomy - Latin and Greek

CBNS116

dorsal

“back”

towards the back

ventral

“venter” = belly

towards the belly

rostral

“beak”

towards the nose

caudal

“tail”

towards the tail

anterior

towards the front

posterior

towards the back

lateral

towards the side

medial

towards the midline

superior

dorsal or rostral

inferior

ventral or caudal

proximal

closer to the structure of interest

distal

further away from the structure of interest

axial

towards the central axis (trunk)

appendicular

referring to the appendages; away from the central axis

horizonal

axial; transverse; “cross section”

parallel to the horizon or floor

longitudinal

parallel to the long-axis

coronal

frontal

corona or tiara-like

sagittal

lateral

plane of bow and arrow

central nervous system

brain, spinal cord, and tracts

peripheral nervous system

nerves and ganglia

telencephalon

“end brain”

cerebral hemispheres (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic structures) and basal forebrain)

diencephalon

“in-between brain”

thalamus and hypothalamus

mesencephalon

“middle brain”

part of the brainstem

rhombencephalon

“hind brain”

pons, cerebellum, medulla

thalamus

“inner chamber”; “bedroom”

hypothalamus

“below” the thalamus

brainstem

“bulb”

the midbrain, pons, and medulla

somatic

referring to the soma or body; specifically, muscles and skin

visceral

referring to the viscera, specifically the organs of the body

nucleus

a collection of nerve cell bodies in the CNS

ganglion

a collection of nerve cell bodies in the PNS

afferent

pathways carrying signals towards a structure

“afferents arrive”

efferent

pathways carrying signals away from a structure

“efferents exit”

commissure

a white matter pathway that connects identical structures on the right and left sides of the CNS

CNS white matter tracts

tract, fascicle, lemniscus, peduncle, bundle (different names for the same thing)

chiasm

“cross”

decussation

“cross”

amygdala

“almond”

arachnoid

“spider’s web” - arachne

arbor vitae

“tree of life”

brachium

“arm” - brachial plexus

bulbar

referring to the brainstem - “corticobulbar”

cauda equina

“horse’s tail”

cephalon

brain

cerebellum

“little brain”

cingulum

“belt” or “girdle” - cingulate gyrus

clivus

“slide” or “slope”

colliculi

“little hills”

corpus callosum

“tough body”

cuneus

“wedge” - cuneate nucleus

dura

“hard”

falx

“sickle” - falx cerebri

fasciculus

“little bundle”

fimbria

“fringe”

folia

“leaf”

foramen

“hole”

fornix

“arch”

funiculus

“string”

geniculate

“little knee”

glossus

“tongue” - hypoglossal; glossopharyngeal

hippocampus

“seahorse”

homunculus

“little human”

infundibulum

“funnel”

limbus

“ring” - limbic lobe

locus ceruleus

“blue spot” - referring to the blue-black color of norepinephrine containing neurons in unstained sections

meninges

“membrane” - meninx

nodulus

“button” or “knot”

operculum

“covering” or “lid”

pellucidum

“transparent”

pharynx

“throat”

pineal

“pine cone”

pons

“bridge”

raphe

“seam”

septum

“wall” or “fence”

somatosensory

“body sense”

stria

“stripe”

substantia nigra

“black substance”

tectum

“roof”

tegmentum

“covering”

temporal

“time”

tomos

“slice” - microtome; tomography

trochlea

pulley - superior oblique tendon is anchored in a trochlea

vagus

“wandering”

vermis

“worm”

para-

to the side

peri-

around

hypo-

below or less than

hyper-

above or more than

pre-, pro-, prosen-

in front of or before

post-

behind or after

mesen-

in-between or mid

rhomben-

rear or in the back

ipsi-

same

contra-

opposite

supra-

above

infra- or sub-

below

inter-

between; among

intra-

within