How to Pronounce Parahippocampal Gyrus

Say it like this: par-ah-hip-oh-KAM-pul JY-rus. The stress falls on the third syllable of the first word (KAM), so you say it a bit louder and longer than the other parts. The second word, gyrus, rhymes with 'virus.'

'Para-' is a Greek prefix meaning 'beside' or 'near.' In this case, it tells you that this brain region is located next to the hippocampus, which is another part of the brain involved in memory.

'Hippocampal' comes from the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure in your brain. The word itself comes from Greek: 'hippo' means horse and 'kampos' means sea monster. So the parahippocampal gyrus is the curved brain area that sits right beside this seahorse-shaped structure.

'Gyrus' is a Latin word meaning a ridge or fold on the brain's surface. The brain has many of these bumpy folds, and each fold is called a gyrus. It's the opposite of a 'sulcus,' which is a groove or valley between the ridges.

It breaks down like this: par-a-hip-po-cam-pal. That's six syllables total. When you say it, remember that the stress lands on 'cam,' so it sounds like: par-uh-hip-oh-KAM-pul.

Many people stress the wrong syllable and say par-ah-HIP-oh-cam-pul, putting the stress on 'hip' instead of 'cam.' The correct way is par-ah-hip-oh-KAM-pul, with the strong stress on 'cam.'

You might hear a neuroscientist say: 'The parahippocampal gyrus helps your brain remember the layout of places you've visited.' This tells you it's a specific brain region with a job related to memory.

You may hear doctors and scientists simply call it the 'parahippocampal cortex' or just say 'the parahippocampal region' in casual conversation, though the full anatomical name is parahippocampal gyrus.