Amygdala
/əˈmɪɡ.də.lə/noun
A small almond-shaped structure deep in the brain involved in emotion processing, especially fear and threat detection.
Did you know?The term was chosen because the structure looked like an almond to early anatomists, not because of any mystical tradition—though the same Greek root also gave English words for almonds and almond-like shapes.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀμυγδάλη (amygdálē)
“almond”
Latin
Latin
amygdala
“almond”
Medieval Latin
Latin
amygdala cerebri
“the almond of the brain”
16th-17th Century
English
amygdala
“anatomical term for an almond-shaped brain structure”
Modern English
English
amygdala
“the almond-shaped region deep in the temporal lobe associated with emotion and memory”
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