gray matter
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - The darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites. It is essential for processing information, thinking, and memory.
Usage
This term is used in scientific, medical, and general contexts to refer to the part of the central nervous system responsible for higher-order functions. It is often contrasted with "white matter."
Examples
Advanced Usage
- "Use your gray matter": A common informal idiom meaning to think hard or use your intelligence.
- Come on, use your gray matter and figure out the solution.
Variants and Related Words
- Grey matter: An alternative spelling, more common in British English.
- Cerebral cortex: The extensive outer layer of the brain, composed largely of gray matter.
- Neuron: A nerve cell, the basic unit of which gray matter is composed.
Synonyms
- Brainpower (informal, when used idiomatically to mean intelligence)
- Intellect (informal, when used idiomatically)
- Cerebral gray matter (more specific scientific term)
Related Idioms
- "Use your gray matter": To think carefully or apply one's intelligence.
- You won't solve the puzzle unless you use your gray matter.
Noun
- greyish nervous tissue containing cell bodies as well as fibers; forms the cerebral cortex consisting of unmyelinated neurons