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diencephalon

Syllabification: (di·en·ceph·a·lon)
Definition of diencephalon

noun

Anatomy
  • the caudal (posterior) part of the forebrain, containing the epithalamus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and ventral thalamus and the third ventricle. Compare with telencephalon.

Derivatives

diencephalic

Pronunciation: /-səˈfalik/
adjective

Origin:

late 19th century: from di-3 'across' + Greek enkephalos 'brain'

diencephalon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of diencephalon in the British & World English dictionary