amygdala

See also: Amygdala

English

WOTD – 16 July 2010
Location of the amygdala in the human brain (region of the brain).

Etymology

Because of its shape, from Latin amygdala (almond), from Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē, almond). Doublet of almond and mandorla.

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /əˈmɪɡ.də.lə/
  • (file)

Noun

amygdala (plural amygdalas or amygdalae)

  1. (neuroanatomy) Each one of the two regions of the brain, located as a pair in the medial temporal lobe, believed to play a key role in processing emotions, such as fear and pleasure, in both animals and humans.
    • 2009 February 12, David Brooks, “The Worst-Case Scenario”, in New York Times:
      Cognitive scientists distinguish between normal risk-assessment decisions, which activate the reward-prediction regions of the brain, and decisions made amid extreme uncertainty, which generate activity in the amygdala.

Holonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Czech

Noun

amygdala f

  1. amygdala

Declension

Latin

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē, almond). The sense "tonsil" is likely a calque of Arabic لَوْز (lawz).

Noun

amygdala f (genitive amygdalae); first declension

  1. almond tree
  2. almond
    Synonym: amygdalum
  3. (Medieval Latin) tonsil
Declension

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative amygdala amygdalae
Genitive amygdalae amygdalārum
Dative amygdalae amygdalīs
Accusative amygdalam amygdalās
Ablative amygdalā amygdalīs
Vocative amygdala amygdalae
Descendants
  • Sicilian: mènnula
  • Proto-West Germanic: *mandalā (see there for further descendants)

Noun

amygdala

  1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of amygdalum

References

Portuguese

Noun

amygdala f (plural amygdalas)

  1. Obsolete spelling of amígdala
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