neurae

Neurae is the plural form of the Latin-derived term neura, used historically in anatomy to denote nerves or nerve fibers. In classical and early modern physiology, neuræ were described as conduits for nervous signals, analogous to what today would be called nerves or nerve tracts. The word survives in some historical texts and in the variant spelling neuræ. In contemporary neuroscience and anatomy, the standard terminology differentiates between neurons, the individual nerve cells that process and transmit information, and nerves, the bundles of axons and associated tissue that connect the nervous system to the rest of the body. The term neura, when encountered in modern prose, is usually understood as obsolete or as a Latin or stylistic item rather than a term used in current lab practice.

In entomology and other historical scientific writings the word occasionally appears in discussions of wing anatomy, where the Latin neura or neuræ has been used to refer to wing veins in the context of "neuration." However, in modern terminology wing venation is described using veins, not nerves.

The usage of neuræ is thus largely confined to historical contexts, philological discussions of scientific language, or specialized, old-fashioned texts. Contemporary glossaries do not treat it as a standard term in current scientific practice.