Etymology

grandmother cell

Today it means: A hypothetical neuron that represents a complex but specific concept or object, and activates upon recognition. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

Coined around 1969 by Jerry Lettvin, referring to the idea of recognising one's grandmother.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.