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Wer·nick·e's area

(vĕrnĭ-kēz, -kəz)

An area in the posterior left hemisphere of the brain cortex at the sylvian fissure that is important for language comprehension and speech.

[After Karl Wernicke (1848-1905), German neurologist.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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