substantia nigra

noun

A brain structure located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement, damage to which occurs in Parkinson's and Parkinsonian patients.

Similar
SNnucleus nigerlocus niger
First used 19th c.
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Meanings

nounsubstantia nigra (plural substantiae nigrae or substantia nigras)

plural substantiae nigrae · plural substantia nigras

  1. anatomyA brain structure located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement, damage to which occurs in Parkinson's and Parkinsonian patients.First known use 19th c.

    Their location was established in the 1950s as the substantia nigra, a layer of grey matter in the midbrain.

    1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 551

    Synonyms: SN

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA brain structure located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement, damage to which occurs in Parkinson's and Parkinsonian patients.

Similar
SN

More synonyms by meaning

nouna layer of deeply pigmented grey matter in the midbrain; associated with the striate body; is involved in metabolic disturbances associated with Parkinson's disease and with Huntington's disease

Similar
nucleus nigerlocus niger
Broader
neural structure

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Scientific Latin, from substantia (“substance”) + nigra (“black”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مَادَّة سَوْدَاء
  • مَادَّة سَوْدَاءbrain structure
Chinese Mandarin 黑質 /黑质
  • 黑質 /黑质 (hēizhì)brain structure
Finnish mustatumake
  • mustatumakebrain structure
French substantia nigra
  • substantia nigrabrain structure
German Substantia nigra
  • Substantia nigrabrain structure
Greek μέλαινα ουσία
  • μέλαινα ουσία (mélaina ousía)brain structure
Japanese 黒質
  • 黒質 (kokushitsu)brain structure
Latin substantia nigra
  • substantia nigrabrain structure
Polish istota czarna
  • istota czarnabrain structure
Russian чёрная субста́нция
  • чёрная субста́нция (čórnaja substáncija)brain structure
Turkish siyah madde, kara madde
  • siyah maddebrain structure
  • kara maddebrain structure
Cite this entry
APA

substantia nigra. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantia%20nigra

MLA

“substantia nigra.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantia%20nigra. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “substantia nigra,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/substantia%20nigra.

Source: substantia nigra on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.