Claustrum
/ˈklɔːstrəm/noun
A closed enclosure or cloister; in anatomy, a thin sheet of gray matter in the brain.
Did you know?Claustrum comes from the same Latin root as *close* and *cloister*, and in medieval religious life it named the enclosed monastic space separated from the world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kleu-
“to shut, close”
Latin
Latin
claudere
“to shut, close”
Latin
Latin
claustrum
“a bolt, bar, lock; an enclosure”
Medieval Latin
Latin
claustrum
“a cloister or enclosed monastic area”
Modern English
English
claustrum
“an enclosure; especially the brain structure called the claustrum”