Standard Lemma guide

neurotransmitter

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any substance, such as acetylcholine or dopamine, responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, medicine, microbiology, natural-sciences, neuroscience, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a neurochemical that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: neurochemical

Narrower terms: epinephrine, epinephrin, adrenaline, Adrenalin, gamma aminobutyric acid, GABA, acetylcholine

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh1- Proto-Indo-European *-wr̥ Proto-Indo-European *snéh1wr̥der. Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron) Ancient Greek νευρο- (neuro-)der. English neuro- English transmit Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English transmitter English neurotransmitter From neuro- + transmitter.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَاقِل عَصَبِيّ (nāqil ʕaṣabiyy) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Bulgarian: невротрансмитер (nevrotransmiter) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Catalan: neurotransmissor — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Chinese Cantonese: 神經傳導物質 /神经传导物质 (san4 ging1 cyun4 dou6 mat6 zat1) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神經傳導物質 /神经传导物质 (shénjīng chuándǎo wùzhì) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神經遞質 /神经递质 (shénjīng dìzhì) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Czech: neurotransmiter — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Czech: neuropřenašeč — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Dutch: neurotransmitter — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Esperanto: neŭrotransmisiilo — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Esperanto: neŭrotransigilo — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Finnish: aivojen välittäjäaine — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Finnish: hermoston välittäjäaine — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Finnish: hermovälittäjäaine — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • French: neurotransmetteur — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Galician: neurotransmisor — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • German: Neurotransmitter — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Greek: νευροδιαβιβαστής (nevrodiavivastís) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Hungarian: neurotranszmitter — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Hungarian: ingerületátvivő anyag — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Irish: néaratharchuradóir — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Japanese: 神経伝達物質 (shinkei dentatsu busshitsu) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Korean: 신경전달물질 (sin'gyeongjeondalmuljil) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Northern Kurdish: demareguhêzer — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Persian: انتقالدهنده عصبی (enteqâl-dahande 'asabi) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Polish: mediator — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Polish: neuromediator — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Polish: neuroprzekaźnik — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Polish: neurotransmiter — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Portuguese: neurotransmissor — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Russian: нейромедиа́тор (nejromediátor) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Russian: нейротрансми́ттер (nejrotransmíttɛr) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Spanish: neurotransmisor — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Swedish: signalsubstans — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Thai: สารส่งผ่านประสาท — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons
  • Ukrainian: нейротрансмі́тер (nejrotransmíter) — substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons