axon or axone (ˈæksɒn, ˈæksəʊn) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| Compare dendrite the long threadlike extension of a nerve cell that conducts nerve impulses from the cell body | |
| [C19: via New Latin from Greek: axis, axle, vertebra] | |
| axone or axone | |
| —n | |
| [C19: via New Latin from Greek: axis, axle, vertebra] | |
| 'axonal or axone | |
| —adj | |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
axon ax·on (āk'sŏn') or ax·one (-sōn')
n.
The usually long process of a nerve fiber that generally conducts impulses away from the body of the nerve cell.
| axon (āk'sŏn') Pronunciation Key
The long portion of a neuron that conducts impulses away from the body of the cell. Also called nerve fiber. |
The part of a nerve cell or neuron that transfers a nerve impulse from the nerve cell body to a synapse with another cell. (See action potential.) Depending on the location of the cell, the length of an axon can vary widely. In some cases (such as the axons that form the spinal cord), they may be several feet long.
axon
portion of a nerve cell (neuron) that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body. A neuron typically has one axon that connects it with other neurons or with muscle or gland cells. Some axons may be quite long, reaching, for example, from the spinal cord down to a toe. Most axons of vertebrates are enclosed in a myelin sheath, which increases the speed of impulse transmission; some large axons may transmit impulses at speeds up to 90 metres (300 feet) per second.
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