PARENCEPHALOUS Meaning and
Definition
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Parencephalous is an uncommon and specialized term used primarily in the field of anatomy and neurology. It refers to a physiological condition or developmental anomaly where an organism or species lacks or has a significantly reduced cerebral hemispheres or brain.
The word "parencephalous" is derived from the Greek words "para" meaning beside or alongside, and "encephalon" which refers to the brain. The addition of the suffix "-ous" denotes a state or condition.
In practical terms, parencephalous can describe various situations such as the partial or complete absence of cerebral hemispheres, whether due to congenital malformation, injury, or as a result of a surgical procedure. Organisms that are parencephalous usually possess the brainstem, but the cerebral cortex, responsible for higher cognitive processes and specialized functions, may be noticeably underdeveloped, diminished, or absent.
Given its specialized use, parencephalous is not a widely known term outside of scientific and medical communities. It is used primarily as a technical descriptor in research, medical reports, and discussions surrounding brain development, neuroanatomy abnormalities, and related conditions.
Overall, parencephalous serves as an important categorization term to describe conditions where an organism or species lacks or has deficient cerebral hemispheres.
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Relating to parencephalia or to a parencephalus.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for PARENCEPHALOUS
- paracephalous
- oarencephalous
- larencephalous
- -arencephalous
- 0arencephalous
- pzrencephalous
- psrencephalous
- pwrencephalous
- pqrencephalous
- paeencephalous
- padencephalous
- pafencephalous
- patencephalous
- pa5encephalous
- pa4encephalous
- parwncephalous
- parsncephalous
- pardncephalous
- parrncephalous
- par4ncephalous
Etymology of PARENCEPHALOUS
The word "parencephalous" is not a commonly used term in English and does not have a well-established etymology. However, by breaking down the word into its components, "parencephalous" appears to be derived from the combination of the prefix "par-", meaning "beside" or "abnormal", and "encephalous", which is derived from the Greek word "enkephalos" (ἐγκέφαλος) meaning "brain". Thus, "parencephalous" might be translated as "beside the brain" or "abnormal brain".
