cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a colorless liquid that is comparable to serum, is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain, and serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

Examples of cerebrospinal fluid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This spinal area lies just outside the dura mater, and is a tough membrane that encases the spinal cord and the system that allows cerebrospinal fluid to circulate. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025

But, the results of a spinal tap showed a clear problem: her cerebrospinal fluid showed a count of 694 white blood cells per microliter. —Ars Technica, 13 Feb. 2025

In microgravity, the brain moves to the top of the skull and compresses an area responsible for absorbing cerebrospinal fluid, leading to a swelling of brain cavities and potentially to an increase in intracranial pressure. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025

View 1 Images Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have devised a biomarker test that can spot small amounts of clumping tau protein in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, which lead to Alzheimer's disease. —New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cerebrospinal fluid

• druid

Kids Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

ce·​re·​bro·​spi·​nal fluid

sə-ˌrē-brō-ˌspīn-ᵊl-

: a colorless fluid that occupies the cavities of the brain and spinal cord and the space between these and the membranes surrounding them

Medical Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a liquid that is comparable to serum but contains less dissolved material, that is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain by the choroid plexus, circulates through the ventricles to the spaces between the meninges about the brain and spinal cord, and is resorbed into the blood through the subarachnoid sinuses, and that serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

called also spinal fluid

compare lymph