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Glite Dictionary
anterior horn

anterior horn

9.3
The front part of the spinal cord that contains nerve cells controlling muscles
  • noun
  • /ænˈtɪr.i.ər hɔrn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cuerno anterior
  • Poliomyelitis primarily affects the nerve cells in the anterior horn.

Examples

  • Damage to the anterior horn of the spinal cord can result in muscle weakness or paralysis.

  • The anterior horn contains motor neurons.

  • The doctor explained that the anterior horn contains motor neurons responsible for voluntary muscle movement.

  • In the spinal cord, the anterior horn plays a crucial role.

  • Damage to the anterior horn of the spinal cord can lead to muscle weakness and paralysis.

  • Doctors assess the health of the anterior horn during examinations of spinal cord injuries.

  • In patients with ALS, the anterior horn cells degenerate, resulting in progressive loss of motor function.

Synonyms

ventral horn
vsanterior horn
  • Specialized
8.7

Front part of the spinal cord that has nerve cells sending signals to muscles

is the same structure but uses an alternate anatomical name

Surface Forms

anterior horn singular
anterior horns plural

Morphology

anterior + horn

The phrase is directly compositional: 'anterior' means toward the front and 'horn' denotes a projecting part, so together they denote the front projecting section of a structure. This anatomical naming follows regular English composition (and parallels in other languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the basic meaning even without medical detail.

Etymology

Anterior horn comes from the words anterior (meaning 'front') and horn (because a small, horn-shaped part of the spinal cord sits there). That 'horn' contains the nerve cells that tell muscles to move, so anterior horn means the front part of the spinal cord that controls muscle movement.