Library / English Dictionary

MEDULLA OBLONGATA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: medullae oblongatae   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lower or hindmost part of the brain; continuous with spinal cord; ('bulb' is an old term for medulla oblongata)

Example:

the medulla oblongata is the most vital part of the brain because it contains centers controlling breathing and heart functioning

Synonyms:

bulb; medulla; medulla oblongata

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("medulla oblongata" is a kind of...):

neural structure (a structure that is part of the nervous system)

Meronyms (parts of "medulla oblongata"):

respiratory center (the center in the medulla oblongata and pons that integrates sensory information about the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and determines the signals to be sent to the respiratory muscles)

Holonyms ("medulla oblongata" is a part of...):

brain-stem; brain stem; brainstem (the part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord and comprising the medulla oblongata and pons and midbrain and parts of the hypothalamus)

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