Meaning & use
axon
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The long, slender projection of a nerve cell that transmits electrical impulses to other cells.
See it in a sentence
Signals travel down the axon to the synapse, where they trigger the release of neurotransmitters.
Some axons are wrapped in a fatty myelin sheath that speeds up signal transmission.
A note on using this word
Part of basic neuroscience vocabulary, usually contrasted with dendrites, which receive signals rather than send them.
Words with a similar meaning
nerve fiber
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