Primary
''cortex'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260127004310-00-⌔
cortex - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
cortex (countable and uncountable, plural cortexes or cortices)
- (countable, anatomy) The outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain.
- ✤ In the study, led by Ryota Kanai of the University College London, people who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a comma-shaped region near the front of the brain that is involved in decision-making. By contrast, those who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — almond-shaped structures that are linked with emotional learning and the processing of fear.1
- (uncountable, botany) The tissue of a stem or root that lies inward from the epidermis, but exterior to the vascular tissue.
- (archaeology) The outer surface of a piece of flint.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cortex (“cork, bark”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA: /ˈkɔɹtɛks/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈkɔːtɛks/
- Audio (Southern England): 🔊
- Rhymes: -ɔɹtɛks
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
2011 April 8, Amie Ninh, “Liberal vs. Conservative: Does the Difference Lie in the Brain?”, in TIME , archived from the original on 18 July 2025: ↩
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