Edinger-Westphal nucleus

noun

The accessory parasympathetic cranial nerve nucleus of the oculomotor nerve (cranial nerve III), supplying the constricting muscles of the iris and the ciliary muscle.

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Meanings

nounEdinger-Westphal nucleus (plural Edinger-Westphal nuclei)

plural Edinger-Westphal nuclei

  1. The accessory parasympathetic cranial nerve nucleus of the oculomotor nerve (cranial nerve III), supplying the constricting muscles of the iris and the ciliary muscle.

Origin

Named after Ludwig Edinger, who demonstrated it in the fetus in 1885, and Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal, who demonstrated it in the adult in 1887.

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Cite this entry
APA

Edinger-Westphal nucleus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Edinger-Westphal%20nucleus

MLA

“Edinger-Westphal nucleus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Edinger-Westphal%20nucleus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Edinger-Westphal nucleus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Edinger-Westphal%20nucleus.

Source: Edinger-Westphal nucleus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.