plexus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plexus (“a twining, plaiting, braid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplɛk.səs/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛksəs

Noun

plexus (plural plexuses or plexus or plexi)

1. (anatomy) A network of anastomosing or interwoven nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels.

   Hyponyms: brachial plexus, cardiac plexus, celiac plexus, choroid plexus, Exner's plexus, internal carotid plexus, pelvic plexus, solar plexus, venous plexus

   • 1934, Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer, Grove Press, published 1961:

     I have the sensation of being immersed in the very plexus of life, focal from whatever place, position or attitude I take my stance.

2. An interwoven combination of parts or elements in a structure or system.
   1. (mathematics) The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.
      • 1866, Brande & C, A Dictionary of Science, Literature, & Art‎^[1], page 935:

        Plexus (Lat.). The system of equations required for the complete expression of the relations which exist between a set of quantities.

Synonyms

• rete

Derived terms

• Batson venous plexus
• carotid plexus
• cervical plexus
• extraplexus
• intraplexus
• pharyngeal plexus
• phrenic plexus
• plectic
• plexiform
• plexo-
• subplexus
• tympanic plexus

 

Translations

anatomic network

• Bulgarian: сплетение n (spletenie), сплит m (split)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叢／丛 (zh) (cóng)

• Czech: pleteň f
• Dutch: plexus (nl) m
• Finnish: punos (fi)
• French: plexus (fr)
• Hungarian: fonat (hu)
• Russian: сплете́ние (ru) n (spleténije), переплете́ние (ru) n (perepleténije)
• Spanish: plexo (es) m

References

• “plexus”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “plexus”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “plexus”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• suplex

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

plexus m (plural plexussen)

1. plexus

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

plexus m (uncountable)

1. plexus

Further reading

• “plexus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈplek.sus/, [ˈpɫ̪ɛks̠ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈplek.sus/, [ˈplɛksus]

Etymology 1

Perfect passive participle of plectō (“to plait, braid, interweave”).

Participle

plexus (feminine plexa, neuter plexum); first/second-declension participle

1. perfect passive participle of plectō
2. (pre-Classical) involved, intricate, entangled, ambiguous

Inflection

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	plexus	plexa	plexum		plexī	plexae	plexa
Genitive	plexī	plexae	plexī		plexōrum	plexārum	plexōrum
Dative	plexō		plexō		plexīs
Accusative	plexum	plexam	plexum		plexōs	plexās	plexa
Ablative	plexō	plexā	plexō		plexīs
Vocative	plexe	plexa	plexum		plexī	plexae	plexa

Etymology 2

From plectō (“to plait, braid, interweave”) +‎ -tus (action noun suffix).

Noun

plexus m (genitive plexūs); fourth declension

1. (poetic) a twining, plaiting, braid

Inflection

Fourth-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	plexus	plexūs
Genitive	plexūs	plexuum
Dative	plexuī	plexibus
Accusative	plexum	plexūs
Ablative	plexū	plexibus
Vocative	plexus	plexūs

Descendants

Descendants of plexus in other languages

• → English: plexus
• → French: plexus
• → Spanish: plexo

References

• “plexus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• plexus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.