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

Numbness or Weakness Anywhere in the Body Numbness or weakness anywhere in the body can be a sign of metastatic breast cancer, seen when cancer spreads into the spinal cord or into the cerebrospinal fluid. —Julie Scott, Msn, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024

The diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis involves a spinal tap to examine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) extracted from between the bones of the lower spine. —Brigid Dwyer, Verywell Health, 2 July 2024

Here’s what happens when your cerebrospinal fluid stops working: What is cerebrospinal fluid? —Danielle Wilhour, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2024

These patients were tested using the new blood test, and the test results were then confirmed with cerebrospinal fluid tests that can indicate Alzheimer’s disease. —Lauryn Higgins, Health, 3 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

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