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pial

pial

1 9.9
Relating to the thin inner layer that covers the brain and spinal cord
  • adjective
  • /ˈpaɪəl/
  • Specialized
: pial
  • The surgeon carefully avoided damaging the pial vessels during the procedure.

Examples

  • A pial hemorrhage can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.

  • Researchers studied the pial surface to understand how nutrients reach the brain.

  • The pial membrane is crucial for protecting the brain.

  • During surgery, the pial layer was carefully preserved.

  • The surgeon carefully avoided damaging the pial vessels during the procedure.

  • A pial hemorrhage can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.

  • Researchers studied the pial surface to understand how nutrients reach the brain.

Surface Forms

pial positive

Morphology

pial = pia mater (opaque) = pia + al

The word is built with the productive suffix -al, but the base term is the specialized anatomical phrase 'pia mater', which is not transparent for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Pial comes from the Latin name pia mater, literally 'tender mother', with pia meaning 'tender' and mater meaning 'mother'. So pial refers to the thin, delicate inner cover of the brain and spinal cord.