thalamus

Etymology

From New Latin, from Latin thalamus, from Ancient Greek θάλαμος (thálamos, “an inner chamber, a bedroom, a bed”).

Noun

thalamus (plural thalami or thalamuses)

1. (anatomy) Either of two large, ovoid structures of grey matter within the forebrain that relay sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.
2. (botany) The receptacle of a flower; a torus.
3. A thallus.

Further reading

• thalamus in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• thalamus in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• thalamus at OneLook Dictionary Search

Alternative forms

• talamus

Noun

thalamus m

1. thalamus

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek θάλαμος (thálamos, “inner room”), especially from Homer.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtʰa.la.mus/, [ˈtʰa.ɫa.mʊs]

Noun

thalamus m (genitive thalamī); second declension

1. inner room, apartment of a house
2. bedroom, chamber
3. marriage bed
4. (by extension, figuratively) marriage

References

• thalamus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• thalamus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• thalamus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• thalamus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• thalamus in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• thalamus in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray