Cell
neuron Audio
neu·ron [ noo r-on, nyoo r- ]
Subclass of:
Nervous system; Cells
Etymology:
Greek neuron = nerve
Hippocrates applied the term neuron to tendons, fascial bands, and indeed to all whitish structures. Aristotle limited the word to nerves. It is now used in a still more limited sense.
Definitions related to neurons:
  • A nerve cell.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A type of cell that receives and sends messages from the body to the brain and back to the body. The messages are sent by a weak electrical current.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Any of the conducting cells of the nervous system. A typical neuron consists of a cell body, containing the nucleus and the surrounding cytoplasm (perikaryon); several short radiating processes (dendrites); and one long process (the axon), which terminates in twiglike branches (telodendrons) and may have branches (collaterals) projecting along its course.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Basic cellular units of nervous tissue; each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites and their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the nervous system.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Neural cell which has as its direct parts a cell body (soma) and one or more neurites; the neuron is the structural and functional unit of the nervous system. Examples: unipolar neuron, bipolar neuron, neuron of retina.
    Foundational Model of Anatomy
    University of Washington, 2017
  • The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the NERVOUS SYSTEM.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • (neural cell) Somatic cell which is derived from the neuro-ectoderm or the neural crest.
    Foundational Model of Anatomy
    University of Washington, 2017
  • Neuron, basic cell of the nervous system in vertebrates and most invertebrates from the level of the cnidarians (e.g., corals, jellyfish) upward. A typical neuron has a cell body containing a nucleus and two or more long fibres. Impulses are carried along one or more of these fibres, called...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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