Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hippocampus

/ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.99 in modern English

Syllables
hip-pocam-pus
IPA
/ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.

noun

A part of the brain located inside the temporal lobe, consisting mainly of grey matter. It is a component of the limbic system and plays a role in memory and emotion.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: hippocampus, ἱππόκαμπος

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/
  • British English: /ˌhɪpə(ʊ)ˈkæm.pəs/

Inflected Forms

hippocampi (plural) hippocampuses (plural)

Derived Forms

hippocampal hippocampectomy hippocampic hippocampocortical parahippocampus

Synonyms

hippocamp sea horse HIPP

Rhymes With

campus melampus

Questions

How do you pronounce hippocampus?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/.
What does hippocampus mean?
A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.
Where does hippocampus come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce hippocampus

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hippocampus”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hippocampus” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.