Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thalamus

/ˈθæləməs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.44 in modern English

Syllables: thal-a-mus
IPA: /ˈθæləməs/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Either of two large, ovoid structures of grey matter within the forebrain that relay sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.

noun

The receptacle of a flower; a torus.

noun

noun

An inner room or nuptial chamber.

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek θᾰ́λᾰμος (thắlămos)bor. Latin thalamusbor. English thalamus Borrowed from Latin thalamus, from Ancient Greek θάλαμος (thálamos, “an inner chamber, a bedroom, a bed”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: θάλαμος

Inflected Forms

thalami (plural) thalamuses (plural)

Derived Forms

hypothalamus metathalamus neothalamus palaeothalamus polythalamous prethalamus subthalamus thalamectomy thalamic thalamically

Phrases

thalamo-

Frequently Paired Words

thalamo-

Synonyms

thalamencephalon

Questions

How do you pronounce thalamus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈθæləməs/.
What does thalamus mean?: Either of two large, ovoid structures of grey matter within the forebrain that relay sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.
Where does thalamus come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce thalamus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “thalamus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈθæləməs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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