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hip•po•camp  (hĭpə-kămp′) or hip•po•cam•pus(hĭp′ə-kămpəs)
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Tweet n.pl. hip•po•camps or hip•po•cam•pi(-pī′) Greek & Roman Mythology A marine creature having the head and forelegs of a horse and the body and tail of a dolphin or fish. [Late Latin, fromGreekhippokampos : hippos, horse; see ekwo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + kampos, sea monster.]  (click for a larger image) hippocampdetail of a mosaic at the Roman Baths Bath, England |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. pl. hip·po·cam·pi (-pī′) 1. A ridge in the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain that consists mainly of gray matter and has a central role in memory processes. [New Latin, from Late Latin, hippocamp (from the shape of the structure in cross section ); see HIPPOCAMP.] hip′po·campal (-pəl) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
