Encéphalon
/ɑ̃.se.fa.lɔ̃/noun
The brain, especially considered as the central organ of the nervous system.
Did you know?Ancient Greek physicians used ἐγκέφαλος for the brain, treating it as the substance enclosed within the head long before modern neurology identified its structures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghebhel-
“Head or skull; a reconstructed root associated with the upper part of the body”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κεφαλή (kephalē)
“Head”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐγκέφαλος (enkephalos)
“Brain; literally, that which is within the head”
2nd Century
Latin
encephalon
“Brain; a Latinized medical borrowing from Greek”
16th Century
French
encéphale
“Brain, in anatomical and medical usage”
Modern French
French
encéphalon
“Encephalon; the brain as an anatomical organ”