Hippocampus
/ˌhɪp.əˈkæm.pəs/noun
A curved structure in the brain involved in memory, and also a seahorse.
Did you know?The word began as a Greek name for a mythical sea creature with a horse-like front and fish-like tail, and that same image later named the brain structure because its shape looked similar.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
hippokámpos
“a sea monster with the forepart of a horse and the tail of a fish”
Late Latin
LAT
hippocampus
“a sea-horse or fabulous sea creature”
Medieval Latin
LAT
hippocampus
“the seahorse”
16th–17th Century
EN
hippocampus
“used in learned Latin form for the seahorse”
Modern English
EN
hippocampus
“the seahorse, and by extension the brain structure named for its shape”