hypothalamus
nounEtymology From hypo- + thalamus.
1
Anatomy, Medicine, Neuroanatomy, Neurology, Neuroscience, Sciences A region of the forebrain located below the thalamus, forming the basal portion of the diencephalon, and functioning to regulate body temperature, some metabolic processes and governing the autonomic nervous system.
- To avoid catastrophe, the brain has its trusty control centre, the hypothalamus, which tells the body to cool itself by sweating or to warm itself by shivering.2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 217:
- Derived terms
- hypocretin, hypothalamectomy, hypothalamic, hypothalamo-
- Related terms
- hippopotamus, hypotenuse
- Holonyms
- diencephalon, limbic system