Amygdales

/əˈmɪɡdeɪlz/ noun

Definition

Plural form of amygdale; multiple almond-shaped brain structures or anatomical references to amygdalae.

Etymology

From Greek amygdalē (almond) with the English plural suffix -s. This represents the Anglicization of the Greek term, where the original Greek plural would be amygdalai.

Kelly Says

English borrows scientific terms from Greek and Latin but then applies English pluralization rules, which is why amygdalae (proper Greek plural) and amygdales (English plural) both get used—a linguistic tug-of-war between ancient languages and modern English.

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