hippocampus

(hip′ō kam′pəs)

noun pl. hippocampi

Gr. & Rom. Myth. a sea monster with the head and forequarters of a horse and the tail of a dolphin or fish
a ridge along the lower section of each lateral ventricle of the brain

Origin: L, sea horse < Gr hippokampos, hippocampus < hippos (see hippo-) + kampos, sea monster

Related Forms:

See hippocampus in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. hip·po·cam·pi (-pīˌ)

A ridge in the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain that consists mainly of gray matter and has a central role in memory processes.

Origin:

Origin: Late Latin, a sea horse with a horse's forelegs and a dolphin's tail (from its shape in cross section)

Origin: , from Greek hippokampos

Origin: : hippos, horse; see ekwo- in Indo-European roots

Origin: + kampos, sea monster

Related Forms:

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