myelin
ミエリン
解説 Definition
myelin は、神経線維を包む脂質に富んだ物質であるミエリンを意味します。日本語でも医学・生物学の用語として「ミエリン」と呼ばれ、日常語ではなく専門的な文脈で使われます。
Myelin is a lipid-rich insulating material that forms a sheath around many nerve fibers. It helps electrical impulses travel rapidly and efficiently along nerve cells, while damage or loss of it can disrupt communication within the nervous system.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
myelin は神経線維を包む脂質に富む物質「ミエリン」です。ギリシャ語で「髄」を表す myel- と、物質名によく使われる -in に分けると覚えやすくなります。myelin sheath「髄鞘」、myelin damage「ミエリン損傷」という組み合わせを、電線の絶縁体のように神経信号を速く安定して伝える働きと結び付けましょう。
Break myelin into myel-, associated historically with marrow, and -in, an ending often found in names of substances. Picture a nerve fiber wrapped in a protective, fatty myelin sheath, somewhat like insulation around an electrical wire. This image connects the structure with its function: myelin allows nerve signals to travel faster and more reliably. Useful combinations include myelin sheath, myelin formation, myelin damage, and loss of myelin. Keep it distinct from melanin, the pigment involved in skin, hair, and eye color; their spellings and biological roles are different.
例文
Myelin helps signals travel quickly along nerve cells.
ミエリンは、信号が神経細胞に沿って速く伝わるのを助けます。
The researcher studied how myelin forms in the brain.
研究者は、脳内でミエリンがどのように作られるかを研究しました。
Damage to myelin can affect the way nerves send messages through the body.
ミエリンが損傷すると、神経が体内で情報を伝える働きに影響が出ることがあります。
myelin の類義語・関連語
myelin の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ギリシャ語 myelos（μυελός＝骨髄）に由来し、神経線維を髄のように包む鞘を指す。接尾辞 -in は物質名を示す。関連語：myelitis（脊髄炎）、myeloma（骨髄腫）。骨の中の髄のように神経を覆い守る構造、という比喩から名づけられた。
Myelin was formed from Greek myelos, meaning “marrow,” with the substance-forming ending -in. The same Greek base appears in medical vocabulary relating to bone marrow or the spinal cord, including myelitis and myeloma, though those terms name different conditions or tissues. The name reflects the historical association of the nerve fiber's pale, marrow-like surrounding material with “medullary” substance. In modern biology, myelin specifically denotes the lipid-rich material produced by certain glial cells around axons.
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