brain
The definition of a brain is the mass of nerve tissue located in the head of animals with spinal cords; it is the center of thought and controls movement.
(noun)An example of brain is what is damaged when someone has Alzheimer's disease.
A brain is defined as a smart or intellectual person.
(noun)An example of brain is a student who is valedictorian of their class.
See brain in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- the mass of nerve tissue in the cranium of vertebrate animals, an enlarged extension of the spinal cord: it is the main part of the nervous system, the center of thought, and the organ that perceives sensory impulses and regulates motor impulses: it is made up of gray matter (the outer cortex of nerve cells) and white matter (the inner mass of nerve fibers)
- a comparable organ in invertebrate animals
- intelligence; mental ability
- Informal a person of great intelligence
- Informal the main organizer or planner of a group activity; chief controller or director
Origin: ME < OE brægen < IE base *mregh-m(n)o-, skull, brain > Gr bregma, forehead
transitive verb
- to dash out the brains of
- Slang to hit hard on the head
See brain in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- a. The portion of the vertebrate central nervous system that is enclosed within the cranium, continuous with the spinal cord, and composed of gray matter and white matter. It is the primary center for the regulation and control of bodily activities, receiving and interpreting sensory impulses, and transmitting information to the muscles and body organs. It is also the seat of consciousness, thought, memory, and emotion.b. A functionally similar portion of the invertebrate nervous system.
- a. Intellectual ability; mind: a dull brain; a quick brain.b. Intellectual power; intelligence. Often used in the plural: has brains and good looks. See Synonyms at mind.
- A highly intelligent person.
- The primary director or planner, as of an organization or movement. Often used in the plural.
- The control center, as of a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.
Slang
- To smash in the skull of.
- To hit on the head.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old English brǽgen
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brain
A. pituitary gland B. cerebrum C. skull D. corpus callosum E. thalamus F. hypothalamus G. pons H. cerebellum I. medulla J. spinal cordSee brain in Ologies
Brain
See also anatomy; body, human; head.
the process of providing a person with visual or auditory evidence of the quality of an autonomie physiological function so that he may attempt to exercise conscious control over it.
cerebrology
1. Obsolete, the branch of psychology that studies the brain.
2. Medicine. the total knowledge concerning the brain.
the surgical operation of opening the skull, as for an operation on the brain.
the comparative study of complex electronic devices and the nervous system in an attempt to understand better the nature of the human brain. —cyberneticist, n. —cybernetic, adj.
an inflamed condition of the brain.
a condition in which normal tissue is misplaced, especially in the brain, so that masses of gray matter are found in the white matter. See also biology.. —heterotopous, adj.
surgical severing of certain nerve fibers in the frontal lobe of the brain, once commonly performed to treat intractable depression. Also called prefrontal lobotomy.
menticide
the process of systematically altering beliefs and attitudes, especially through the use of drugs, torture, or psychological stress techniques; brainwashing.
phrenomagnetism
brain stimulation by hypnosis or magnetism.
the forebrain. —prosencephalies, adj.
a form of extreme or violent cerebral activity caused by defective inhibition. —psychokinetic, adj.
the use of brain surgery to treat mental disorders. —psychosurgeon, n.
the sensory apparatus of the body as a whole; the seat of physical sensation, imagined to be in the gray matter of the brain.
synectics
a procedure for the stating and solving of problems based upon creative thinking in figurative terms by a small, carefully chosen, and diversely specialized group.
the anterior section of the forebrain, containing the cerebrum and related structures. —telencephalic, adj.
the influence one brain is thought to exercise over another, from a distance, by means of some hypothetical mental energy.
surgical excision of part of the cerebral cortex, as to provide relief for pain or treat certain mental disorders.
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