Meaning & use
neuron
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Meanings
nouncountablebiologymedical
A cell in the nervous system that receives and sends electrical and chemical signals.
Grammar: Countable: one neuron, many neurons. Often used in the plural when talking about the brain.
Patterns
- a neuron fires
- neurons in the brain
- send a signal to a neuron
Each neuron can connect to thousands of other neurons.
When you learn something new, the connections between neurons change.
Damage to motor neurons can cause muscle weakness.
nouncountablecomputingtechnical
A basic unit in a computer system designed to imitate the way a biological neuron works.
Grammar: Countable and common in computing contexts, especially with 'artificial' or 'artificial neural network'.
Patterns
- an artificial neuron
- the output of a neuron
- train a neuron
The network uses artificial neurons arranged in layers.
Each artificial neuron takes several inputs and produces one output.
Researchers trained the neurons on thousands of images.
Word forms
| plural | neurons |
|---|
Common combinations
- sensory neuron
- A sensory neuron carries information from the skin to the brain.
- motor neuron
- A motor neuron sends commands to a muscle.
- neuron fires
- The neuron fires when the signal is strong enough.
- neuron connections
- Sleep helps strengthen neuron connections.
- artificial neuron
- An artificial neuron is a simple mathematical model.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nerve cell
- The everyday term for the same thing; 'neuron' is the usual choice in scientific writing.
- nerve
- A nerve is a bundle of fibers from many neurons, not a single cell, so it is not a true synonym.
Word family
- neuronal adjective
- Relating to neurons, as in 'neuronal activity'.
- neuroscience noun
- The scientific study of the nervous system.
- neurotransmitter noun
- A chemical that carries signals between neurons.
Commonly confused: neuron or nerve?
neuron vs nerve
A nerve is a bundle of many neuron fibers; a neuron is a single cell. Saying 'a nerve' for one cell is a common learner mistake.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'neuron' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A neuron is one nerve cell, and it can connect to many others, so B is correct. An and C describe a nerve (a bundle), not a single cell; D confuses neurons with blood vessels.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neuron”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.