hippocampus
noun
hip·po·cam·pus ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-pəs 
plural hippocampi ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-ˌpī
-(ˌ)pē
: a curved elongated ridge that extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, that consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and that is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory
hippocampal
ˌhi-pə-ˈkam-pəl
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The hippocampus is a brain structure closely involved in both learning and memory-formation. 
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 Staresina says that future work should examine spindle and other activity in the hippocampus, the brain's memory hub. Rebecca Sohn, Scientific American, 27 July 2022 Further implicating the chemokine, the increase was localized specifically to the white matter of the hippocampus, with no reactivity in cortical or other subcortical white matter. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 Finally, the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain that’s largely responsible for memory, isn’t fully developed in the infancy period. Vanessa Lobue, The Conversation, 8 June 2022 Studies have found that aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, increasing some aspects of memory. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 31 May 2022 A year later, scientists reported that pathological TDP-43 was also present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and hippocampal sclerosis, a disease associated with pathological changes in the hippocampus. Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 13 July 2022 Studies in animals as well as human autopsy studies have linked chronic stress to a loss of neural connections in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center, which is where Alzheimer's takes a heavy toll. Claudia Wallis, Scientific American, 15 June 2022 That may be due to shrinking in the right hippocampus, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, according to studies. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 31 May 2022 See More
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 Staresina says that future work should examine spindle and other activity in the hippocampus, the brain's memory hub. Rebecca Sohn, Scientific American, 27 July 2022 Further implicating the chemokine, the increase was localized specifically to the white matter of the hippocampus, with no reactivity in cortical or other subcortical white matter. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 Finally, the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain that’s largely responsible for memory, isn’t fully developed in the infancy period. Vanessa Lobue, The Conversation, 8 June 2022 Studies have found that aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, increasing some aspects of memory. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 31 May 2022 A year later, scientists reported that pathological TDP-43 was also present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and hippocampal sclerosis, a disease associated with pathological changes in the hippocampus. Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 13 July 2022 Studies in animals as well as human autopsy studies have linked chronic stress to a loss of neural connections in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center, which is where Alzheimer's takes a heavy toll. Claudia Wallis, Scientific American, 15 June 2022 That may be due to shrinking in the right hippocampus, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, according to studies. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 31 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek hippokampos seahorse, from hippos horse + kampos sea monster — more at equine
First Known Use
1695, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
hippocampus
noun
hip·po·cam·pus ˌhip-ə-ˈkam-pəs
plural hippocampi -ˌpī -(ˌ)pē
-(ˌ)pē : a curved elongated ridge that is an important part of the limbic system, extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory see pes hippocampi