From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsynapsesyn‧apse /ˈsaɪnæps, ˈsɪn- $ ˈsɪnæps, sɪˈnæps/ noun [countable] the place where nerve cells meet, especially in the brain —synaptic /sɪˈnæptɪk/ adjective
Examples from the Corpus
synapse• How do they find the correct synapses out of the hundreds or thousands on each neuron?• Then impulses travel down both branches, and so on, until shifting the presynaptic voltage at a thousand different synapses.• This is useful as the path involves very few synapses.• Something is known of the physical nature of the change in the synapse.• The opening of these channels either directly inhibits a neuron from firing or reduces the amount of neurotransmitter released into the synapse.• The mechanisms are likely to involve changes at both sides of the synapse.• Muscle paralyzing agents tend to interfere with the synapse between nerve and muscle.• With repetition, these synapses become less effective in causing the motor neurones to fire.Origin synapse (1800-1900) Modern Latin synapsis, from Greek, “joint”, from synaptein “to fasten together”, from syn- ( → SYN-) + haptein “to fasten” 