Meanings
plural cortexes · plural cortices
- countableanatomyThe outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain.
1 more example
In the study, led by Ryota Kanai of the University College London, people who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a comma-shaped region near the front of the brain that is involved in decision-making. By contrast, those who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — almond-shaped structures that are linked with emotional learning and the processing of fear.
2011 April 8, Amie Ninh, “Liberal vs. Conservative: Does the Difference Lie in the Brain?”, in TIME, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2025 - countableuncountablearchaeologyThe outer surface of a piece of flint.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe layer of unmyelinated neurons (the grey matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum
nounthe tissue forming the outer layer of an organ or structure in plant or animal
nounthe tissue that surrounds the lens nucleus
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kert-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kort-ek-s
- Latincortex
- Englishcortex
Borrowed from Latin cortex (“cork, bark”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ципа, кора
- ципа (cipa)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
- кора (kora)tissue of a stem or root
Catalan còrtex
- còrtexouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Chinese Mandarin 皮质
- 皮质 (pízhì)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Czech kůra
- kůraouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Finnish kuori
- kuoriouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
French cortex, cortex
- cortexouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- cortextissue of a stem or root
German Rinde, Cortex
- Rindeouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- Cortexouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- Kortexouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Greek φλοιός
- φλοιός (floiós)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Hungarian kéreg, kéreg
- kéregouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- kéregtissue of a stem or root
Irish coirtéis
- coirtéisouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Korean 피질
- 피질 (pijil)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Latin cortex
- cortextissue of a stem or root
Norwegian Bokmål bark
- barkouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Polish kora, kora
- koraouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- koratissue of a stem or root
Portuguese córtex, córtex
- córtexouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- córtextissue of a stem or root
Russian кора
- кора (kora)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Tagalog luknap
- luknaptissue of a stem or root
Thai เปลือก
- เปลือก (bplʉ̀ʉak)outer layer of an internal organ or body structure
Welsh breithell, gwisg
- breithellouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
- gwisgouter layer of an internal organ or body structure
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cortex
All rhymes →Cite this entry
cortex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cortex
“cortex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cortex. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cortex,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cortex.
Source: cortex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.