Definition of "hindbrain" [hind•brain]

• The portion of the embryonic brain from which the metencephalon and myelencephalon develop. (noun)
• The lower or hind region of the adult brain comprising the pons and medulla oblongata. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Improvement in hindbrain herniation demonstrated by serial fetal magnetic resonance imaging following fetal surgery for myelomeningocele."
• "The reason the pupils dilate is that the eyes are the closest organ to the hindbrain, which is responsible for stimulating the sympathetic nerve system."
• "What follows is a kind of hindbrain-centered, vengeance-motivated morality play which finds John and Emma taking in the very villains who have (unbeknownst to them) molested and shot their daughter, operating under the assumption that their car crashed out in the woods somewhere nearby."