grey matter
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- gray matter (US)
Pronunciation edit
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Noun edit
- (idiomatic) Brains; a person's ability to think.
- 1904, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Penelope's Party Waist”, in Short Stories: 1904:
- "I'd better be putting my grey matter into that algebra instead of wasting it plotting for a party dress that I certainly can't get."
- 1914, Sax Rohmer, chapter 10, in The Sins of Severac Bablon:
- "Inspector Pepys!" gasped Bernard Megger, swallowing between the words, "I shall remember you!"
"You will be wasting grey matter!" replied the man.
- 2001 September 28, Thomas K. Grose, “Connect the Dots”, in Time:
- How many phone numbers are stored in your grey matter?
- Literal brains as a general substance.
- He fell from the 5th floor. There is grey matter on the path behind his head. I'm afraid he's dead.
- (neuroanatomy) A collection of cell bodies and (usually) dendritic connections, in contrast to white matter.
Translations edit
person's ability to think
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collection of cell bodies
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