amygdala

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

amygdala
    n 1: an almond-shaped neural structure in the anterior part of
         the temporal lobe of the cerebrum; intimately connected
         with the hypothalamus and the hippocampus and the cingulate
         gyrus; as part of the limbic system it plays an important
         role in motivation and emotional behavior [syn: {amygdala},
         {amygdaloid nucleus}, {corpus amygdaloideum}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

amygdala \a*myg"da*la\ ([.a]*m[i^]g"d[.a]*l[.a]), n.; pl.
   {-l[ae]} (-l[=e]). [L., an almond, fr. Gr. 'amygda`lh. See
   {Almond}.]
   1. An almond.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   2. (Anat.)
      (a) One of the tonsils of the pharynx.
      (b) One of the rounded prominences of the lower surface of
          the lateral hemispheres of the cerebellum, each side
          of the vallecula.
          [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

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