Primary
''hippocampus'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260331180822-00-⌔
hippocampus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
hippocampus (plural hippocampi or hippocampuses)
- (mythology) A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.
- ✤ Synonyms: hippocamp, sea horse
- (neuroanatomy, anatomy) A part of the brain located inside the temporal lobe, consisting mainly of grey matter. It is a component of the limbic system and plays a role in memory and emotion.
- ✤ Synonym: HIPP
- ✤ Holonyms: limbic system < brain < central nervous system, CNS
- ✤ The hippocampus is central to the laying down of memories.1
Etymology
From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˌhɪpə(ʊ)ˈkæm.pəs/
- (General American, Canada) IPA: /ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/, (/æ/raising) [ˌhɪpəˈkɛəm.pəs],/ˌhɪpoʊˈkæm.pəs/, (/æ/raising) [ˌhɪpoʊˈkɛəm.pəs]
- Audio (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): 🔊
- Rhymes: -æmpəs
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 63: ↩
Secondary
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