medulla

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See also: médulla

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin medulla (pith, marrow), perhaps from medius (middle).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /məˈdʌlə/, /mɛdʌlə/, ,
  • (US) IPA(key): /məˈdulə/,
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

medulla (plural medullas or medullae or medullæ)

  1. The soft inner part of something, especially the pith of a fruit.
  2. (anatomy) The inner substance of various organs and structures, especially the marrow of bones.
  3. (anatomy, neuroanatomy) The medulla oblongata.
  4. (botany) The internal tissue of a plant.

Derived terms

Translations

Interlingua

Noun

medulla (plural medullas)

  1. medulla

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain. Traditionally compared to Latin medius (middle), or Proto-Indo-European *mosgʰos (brain, marrow). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?) De Vaan mentions neither of these theories, and instead prefers a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *smer-u-lo-, from *smérus (grease, marrow), with the irregular change from *-r- > -d- resulting from hypercorrection similar to that of *-d- > -r- in merīdiēs (midday).[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

medulla f (genitive medullae); first declension

  1. (anatomy) bone marrow
  2. (figuratively) as the subjective location of the intense inner physical sensation of a heightened emotion, such as erotic passion
    • c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, 45 15-16:
      “Ut multō mihi maior ācriorque
      ignis mollibus ārdet in medullīs.”
      “So that a fire far more blazing may burn in my soft marrow.”
    • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.66-67:
      Ēst mollis flamma medullās
      intereā, et tacitum vīvit sub pectore volnus.
      The flames consume her tender marrow all the while, and the silent wound dwells within her heart.

Declension

First-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative medulla medullae
genitive medullae medullārum
dative medullae medullīs
accusative medullam medullās
ablative medullā medullīs
vocative medulla medullae

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “medulla”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 369

Further reading