Ganglion
/ˈɡæŋɡliən/noun
A small mass of nerve cell bodies or a benign cystic swelling near a joint or tendon.
Did you know?Ancient Greek writers used ganglion for a knot or swelling, and later anatomists extended it to nerve clusters because they looked like little hidden nodes in the body’s wiring.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
ganglion
“a knot, lump, or swelling”
Late Latin
Lat
ganglion
“a ganglion; a swelling or knot”
Middle French
OFr
ganglion
“a swelling, knot, or cyst”
16th Century
English
ganglion
“a knot or swelling, especially on a tendon or nerve”
Modern English
Eng
ganglion
“a cluster of nerve cell bodies or a small cyst-like swelling”
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