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Glite Dictionary
fibrous astrocyte

fibrous astrocyte

9.7
A star-shaped brain cell with long thin arms that support nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord
  • noun
  • /ˈfaɪbrəs ˈæstrəˌsaɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : astrocito fibroso
  • Fibrous astrocytes are primarily found in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord.

Examples

  • Researchers observed that the fibrous astrocyte plays a role in supporting nerve fibers.

  • Fibrous astrocytes are essential for maintaining the structure of the white matter in the brain and spinal cord.

  • Damage to the white matter may affect the function of fibrous astrocytes.

  • The fibrous astrocyte plays a crucial role in the central nervous system.

  • Many fibrous astrocytes are found in the white matter of the brain.

  • The function of fibrous astrocytes is vital for supporting the myelin sheaths of nerve fibers.

  • In the laboratory, scientists studied the adaptation of fibrous astrocytes to different types of nerve injury.

Surface Forms

fibrous astrocyte singular
fibrous astrocytes plural

Morphology

fibrous + astrocyte

This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'fibrous' (having fibres) modifies 'astrocyte' (a star-shaped glial cell), so the meaning 'an astrocyte with fibrous/filamentous processes' is directly derivable from the parts. The construction follows standard English compounding patterns used in scientific vocabulary, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the overall meaning.

Etymology

Fibrous astrocyte is a name made from fibrous and astrocyte because these brain cells look like little stars with long, thin 'fibers' or arms. That's why the name means a 'star-shaped' support cell with long, thin parts that help other nerve cells.