gray matter

noun

1

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains nerve-cell bodies as well as nerve fibers and has a brownish-gray color

2

: brains, intellect

Synonyms

• brain(s)
• brainpower
• headpiece
• intellect
• intellectuality
• intelligence
• mentality
• reason
• sense
• smarts

Examples of gray matter in a Sentence

she's got the gray matter to figure that equation out

Recent Examples on the Web

Nevertheless, its spread is troubling because the virus can lead to a rare and debilitating neurological condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. AFM attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord’s gray matter, which controls movement. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024

By the ninth week of pregnancy, the authors found widespread decreases in gray matter volume and thickness of the cerebral cortex, especially in regions such as the default mode network, which is associated with social cognitive functions. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024

One study shows more gray matter in the portions of the brain that deal with attention, auditory processing, emotional stimulus, and recognition in the brains of people with high IQs than in the brains of the control group. —Constance Grady, Vox, 14 Aug. 2024

Brain scans showed those who received liraglutide lost nearly 50% less volume in the frontal, temporal, parietal and total gray matter − areas of the brain that control memory, learning, language and decision making. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 30 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gray matter

noun

1

: nerve tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that has a brownish gray color

2

: intelligence sense 1

Medical Definition

gray matter

noun

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains cell bodies as well as nerve fibers, has a brownish gray color, and forms most of the cortex and nuclei of the brain, the columns of the spinal cord, and the bodies of ganglia

called also gray substance