# amygdala

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈmɪɡ.də.lə/ · frequency rank #35,183

## Definitions
1. Each one of the two regions of the brain, located as a pair in the medial temporal lobe, believed to play a key role in processing emotions, such as fear and pleasure, in both animals and humans.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē)bor.
▲
Arabic لَوْز (lawz)sl.
Medieval Latin amygdalalbor.
English amygdala
Learned borrowing from Latin amygdala (“almond, amygdala”), from Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē, “almond”), named as such due to its shape. Doublet of almond, amygdale, and mandorla.

## Common misspellings (12)
`amgydala`, `ammygdala`, `amydgala`, `amygadla`, `amygdaal`, `amygdalla`, `amygddala`, `amygdlaa`, `amyggdala`, `amyygdala`, `aymgdala`, `maygdala`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/amygdala