Coined by Sherrington from Greek synapsis 'conjunction,' from syn- 'together' + haptein 'to fasten,' for the gap between neurons.
The junction between two nerve cells, across which impulses pass by diffusion of neurotransmitters.
Coined by the English physiologist Charles Sherrington from Greek synapsis 'conjunction, connection,' from synaptein 'to fasten together,' from syn- 'together' + haptein 'to fasten.' Sherrington needed a word for the gap between neurons that Santiago Ramón y Cajal had shown were separate cells, not a continuous network. Key roots: *sem- (Proto-Indo-European: "together