Home › Glossary › Letter C

cerebral

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Cerebral relates to the brain or intellect, often implying a poem that is thoughtful, analytical, or mentally engaging.

Detailed Definition
The term 'cerebral' refers to anything pertaining to the brain or intellectual activity. In literature, it often describes works that emphasize thought and reasoning over emotion. In this poem, it highlights the speaker's focus on mental rather than physical connection.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Great is my need to be chaste and apart, in this cerebral age" (intellectual, rational); "Cerebral verses for thoughtful minds" (poetic style); "The cerebral pleasure of a puzzle" (mental); "A cerebral approach to love" (analytical); "Cerebral clarity in the midst of chaos" (contrast)
Additional Notes
The word 'cerebral' underscores the theme of intellectual engagement over physical interaction.; Found in the poem, Noli Me Tangere by D. H. Lawrence
Also Known As
brain-related mental faculty cerebral thought intellect sphere neural
Skip to main content