cerebellum

< /ˌsɛr əˈbɛl ə/. Anatomy, Zoology.

1. a large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.

noun plural -lums or -la (-lə)

1. one of the major divisions of the vertebrate brain, situated in man above the medulla oblongata and beneath the cerebrum, whose function is coordination of voluntary movements and maintenance of bodily equilibrium

n.

1560s, from Latin cerebellum “a small brain,” diminutive of cerebrum “brain” (see cerebral).

n. pl. cer•e•bel•lums

1. The trilobed structure of the brain, lying posterior to the pons and medulla oblongata and inferior to the occipital lobes of the cerebral hemispheres, responsible for the regulation and coordination of complex voluntary muscular movement and the maintenance of posture and balance.

Plural cerebellums cerebella

1. The part of the vertebrate brain that is located below the cerebrum at the rear of the skull and that coordinates balance and muscle activity. In mammals, the cerebellum is made up of two connecting hemispheres that consist of a core of white matter surrounded by gray matter.

The part of the brain that helps control muscle coordination.