Standard Lemma guide

hippocampus

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌhɪpə(ʊ)ˈkæm.pəs/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌhɪpəˈkæm.pəs/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˌhɪpəˈkɛəm.pəs] /æ/ raising
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌhɪpoʊˈkæm.pəs/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˌhɪpoʊˈkɛəm.pəs] /æ/ raising
  • Wisconsin Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æmpəs
  • CMU ARPABET: HH IH2 P OW0 K AE1 M P AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hippocamp, sea horse

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A part of the brain located inside the temporal lobe, consisting mainly of grey matter. It is a component of the limbic system and plays a role in memory and emotion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, neuroanatomy, neurology, neuroscience, sciences

Examples

  • Holonyms: limbic system < brain < central nervous system, CNS

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: HIPP

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

seahorses

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: genus Hippocampus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fish genus

4

noun

Meaning 4

a complex neural structure (shaped like a sea horse) consisting of grey matter and located on the floor of each lateral ventricle; intimately involved in motivation and emotion as part of the limbic system; has a central role in the formation of memories

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: neural structure

History

Etymology

From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 海馬 /海马 (hǎimǎ) — mythological creature
  • Dutch: hippocampus — mythological creature
  • Dutch: hippokampos — mythological creature
  • Finnish: hippokamppi — mythological creature
  • French: hippocampe — mythological creature
  • Georgian: ჰიპოკამპუსი (hiṗoḳamṗusi) — mythological creature
  • German: Hippokamp — mythological creature
  • Greek: ιππόκαμπος (ippókampos) — mythological creature
  • Ancient Greek: ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos) — mythological creature
  • Italian: ippocampo — mythological creature
  • Polish: hippokamp — mythological creature
  • Portuguese: hipocampo — mythological creature
  • Romanian: hipocamp — mythological creature
  • Russian: гиппока́мп (gippokámp) — mythological creature
  • Spanish: hipocampo — mythological creature
  • Ukrainian: гіпока́мп (hipokámp) — mythological creature
  • Catalan: hipocamp — brain region
  • Chinese Mandarin: 海馬體 /海马体 (hǎimǎtǐ) — brain region
  • Chinese Mandarin: 海馬 /海马 (hǎimǎ) — brain region
  • Czech: hipokampus — brain region
  • Dutch: hippocampus — brain region
  • Esperanto: hipokampo — brain region
  • Finnish: aivoturso — brain region
  • Finnish: hippokampus — brain region
  • French: hippocampe — brain region
  • Georgian: ჰიპოკამპუსი (hiṗoḳamṗusi) — brain region
  • German: Hippocampus — brain region
  • German: Ammonshorn — brain region
  • Greek: ιππόκαμπος (ippókampos) — brain region
  • Indonesian: hipokampus — brain region
  • Italian: ippocampo — brain region
  • Japanese: 海馬 (kaiba) — brain region
  • Kazakh: гиппокамп (gippokamp) — brain region
  • Polish: hipokamp — brain region
  • Portuguese: hipocampo — brain region
  • Romanian: hipocamp — brain region
  • Slovene: hipokampus — brain region
  • Spanish: hipocampo — brain region
  • Turkish: hipokampus — brain region
  • Ukrainian: гіпока́мп (hipokámp) — brain region
  • Vietnamese: hồi hải mã — brain region