myelin

Etymology

myelo- + -in. From Ancient Greek μυελός (muelós, “marrow”).

noun

1. (neuroanatomy) A white, fatty material, composed of lipids and lipoproteins, that surrounds the axons of nerves.
   As the result of prolonged action of water upon myelin, bird's-nests-cells are also said to be produced, and we are certain we have seen, as the result of such prolonged action of water, the appearances thus compared. 1868 January, Edmund Montgomery, “On the Formation of so-called Cells in Animal Bodies”, in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, page 203
   This gene controls the production of an insulating sleeve that wraps around neurons. Known as myelin, it is crucial for long-range communication in the brain. 2018-12-13, Carl Zimmer, “Narrower Skulls, Oblong Brains: How Neanderthal DNA Still Shapes Us”, in The New York Times, →ISSN