preopticadj.
/ˌpriːˈɒptɪk/, U.S. /priˈɑptɪk/ Anatomy.† 1. Designating the anterior quadrigeminal body (superior colliculus) of the brain. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.
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the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > brain > parts of brain > [adjective] > lobe
rhinencephalic1846
postnasal1859
parietal1861
prefrontal1878
postrhinal1880
postfrontal1883
suboccipital1885
insular1886
transfrontal1889
preoptic1890
premotor1923
1890 Cent. Dict. Preoptic, anterior with respect to optic lobes; pregeminal: specifically noting the anterior pair of the optic lobes or corpora quadrigemina of the brain.
2. Situated in front of the optic chiasma; spec. of or designating the region of the brain consisting of the anterior part of the hypothalamus and third ventricle.
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1896 Amer. Naturalist 30 837 A second group of sulci arising in the optic and preoptic recesses extend to the porta.
1907 J. B. Johnston Nerv. Syst. Vertebr. xviii. 297 Surrounding the pre~optic recess is a layer of cells of very primitive character.
1970 Jrnl. Anat. 107 186 Evidence which indicates that the preoptic area is involved in the control of reproductive function.
1996 Daily Tel. 12 Jan. 11/2 Nerve cells in the hypothalamus, located in a region called the ventrolateral preoptic area, provide direct input to other nerve cells which contain messenger chemicals.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1890