Etymology : French cérébral, from Latin cerebrum brain; akin to Old High German hirni brain, Greek kara head, keras horn, Sanskrit siras head; more at HORN
Pronunciation : s&-'rE-br&l, 'ser-&
Function : adjective
Date : 1816
1. pertaining to the brain. cerebral\cer"e*bral\ , a. [l. cerebrum brain; akin to gr. head: cf. f. cérébral. see:
cheer.] (anat.) of or pertaining to the cerebrum.cerebral apoplexy. see:
under apoplexy.cerebral \cer"e*bral\, n. [a false translation of the skr. mūrdhanya, lit., head-sounds.] one of a class of lingual consonants in the east indian languages. see:
lingual, n.note: prof. w. d. whitney calls these letters linguals, and this is their usual designation in the united states.cerebral adj.
2. involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct; "a cerebral approach to the problem"; "cerebral drama" [syn: intellectual] [ant: emotional].
3. of or relating to the cerebrum or brain; "cerebral hemisphere"; "cerebral activity".
4. Of or pertaining to the cerebrum.
5. One of a class of lingual consonants in the East Indian languages.
6. See Lingual, n. involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct; "a cerebral approach to the problem"; "cerebral drama" of or relating to the cerebrum or brain; "cerebral hemisphere"; "cerebral activity".
7. 1. If you describe someone or something as cerebral, you mean that they are intellectual rather than emotional. Washington struck me as a precarious place from which to publish such a cerebral newspaper. = intellectual.
8. Cerebral means relating to the brain. a cerebral haemorrhage.