Meanings
plural ganglia · plural ganglions
- anatomyAn encapsulated collection of nerve cell bodies, typically linked by synapses, and often forming a swelling on a nerve fiber.
[T]he wonderfully diversified instincts, mental powers, and affections of ants are generally known, yet their cerebral ganglia are not so large as the quarter of a small pin's head.
1871, Charles Darwin, “On the Manner of Development of Man from some Lower Form”, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, Part I (On the Descent of Man), page 145 - anatomyAny of certain masses of gray matter in the central nervous system, as the basal ganglia.
1 more example
The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure.
2013 August 3, “The machine of a new soul”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847Synonyms: nucleus
- transferred senseA centre of intellectual or industrial force, activity, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of certain masses of gray matter in the central nervous system, as the basal ganglia.
nounA benign cystic tumour on a tendon sheath or joint capsule.
Origin
- Ancient Greekγᾰγγλῐ́ον
- Ancient Greekγᾰγγλῐ́ον
- Englishganglion
Borrowed from Ancient Greek γᾰγγλῐ́ον (gănglĭ́on, “encysted tumour on a tendon or aponeurosis”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عُقْدَة عَصَبِيَّة
- عُقْدَة عَصَبِيَّة (ʕuqda ʕaṣabiyya)collection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Catalan gangli
- ganglicollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Chinese Mandarin 神經節 /神经节, 中心
- 神經節 /神经节 (shénjīngjié)collection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- 中心 (zhōngxīn)centre of power or authority
Czech zauzlina, nervová uzlina
- zauzlinacollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- nervová uzlinacollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- gangliecollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Dutch zenuwknoop, ganglion
- zenuwknoopcollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Esperanto ganglio
- gangliocollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Finnish ganglio, hermosolmu
- gangliocollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- hermosolmucollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- hermokeskuscentre of power or authority
French ganglion
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
German Ganglion, Nervenknoten
- Ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- Nervenknotencollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- Kopfcentre of power or authority
Indonesian ganglion
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Japanese 神経節
- 神経節 (shinkeisetsu)collection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Latin ganglion, ganglium
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
- gangliumcollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Persian گانگلیون
- گانگلیون (gângeliyon)collection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Polish zwój nerwowy
- zwój nerwowycollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Romanian ganglion
- ganglioncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Russian га́нглий
- га́нглий (gánglij)collection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Spanish ganglio
- gangliocollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Turkish gangliyon
- gangliyoncollection of nerve cell bodies outside the brain
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ganglion
All rhymes →Cite this entry
ganglion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ganglion
“ganglion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ganglion. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ganglion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ganglion.
Source: ganglion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.