plexus
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin plexus (“a twining, plaiting, braid”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈplɛk.səs/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file)
- Rhymes: -ɛksəs
Noun
plexus (plural plexuses or plexus or plexi)
- (anatomy) A network of anastomosing or interwoven nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels.
- Hyponyms: brachial plexus, cardiac plexus, celiac plexus, choroid plexus, Exner's plexus, internal carotid plexus, pelvic plexus, solar plexus, venous plexus
- 1934, Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer, Grove Press, published 1961:
- I have the sensation of being immersed in the very plexus of life, focal from whatever place, position or attitude I take my stance.
- An interwoven combination of parts or elements in a structure or system.
- (mathematics) The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.
- 1866, Brande & C, A Dictionary of Science, Literature, & Art, page 935:
- Plexus (Lat.). The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.
-
- (mathematics) The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.
Synonyms
- rete
Derived terms
- cœliac plexus
- extraplexus
- intraplexus
- plectic
- plexiform
- plexo-
- subplexus
Translations
anatomic network
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References
- “plexus”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “plexus”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “plexus”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
- suplex
Dutch
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
plexus m (plural plexussen)
- plexus
French
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Noun
plexus m (uncountable)
- plexus
Further reading
- “plexus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈplek.sus/, [ˈpɫ̪ɛks̠ʊs̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈplek.sus/, [ˈplɛksus]
Etymology 1
Perfect passive participle of plectō (“to plait, braid, interweave”).
Participle
plexus (feminine plexa, neuter plexum); first/second-declension participle
- perfect passive participle of plectō
- (pre-Classical) involved, intricate, entangled, ambiguous
Inflection
First/second-declension adjective.
Number | Singular | Plural | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case / Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
Nominative | plexus | plexa | plexum | plexī | plexae | plexa | |
Genitive | plexī | plexae | plexī | plexōrum | plexārum | plexōrum | |
Dative | plexō | plexō | plexīs | ||||
Accusative | plexum | plexam | plexum | plexōs | plexās | plexa | |
Ablative | plexō | plexā | plexō | plexīs | |||
Vocative | plexe | plexa | plexum | plexī | plexae | plexa |
Etymology 2
From plectō (“to plait, braid, interweave”) + -tus (action noun suffix).
Noun
plexus m (genitive plexūs); fourth declension
- (poetic) a twining, plaiting, braid
Inflection
Fourth-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | plexus | plexūs |
Genitive | plexūs | plexuum |
Dative | plexuī | plexibus |
Accusative | plexum | plexūs |
Ablative | plexū | plexibus |
Vocative | plexus | plexūs |
Descendants
Descendants of plexus in other languages
- → English: plexus
- → French: plexus
- → Spanish: plexo
References
- “plexus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- plexus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette