médula

marrow

noun MEH-doo-lah Rare

Origin: from Latin medulla (marrow, pith)

Also means

core

Usage Note

Médula primarily refers to bone marrow (médula ósea) and spinal cord (médula espinal). Figuratively it means the very core or essence of something (la médula del problema — the crux of the problem). Note the written accent on the first e: MÉ-doo-lah (proparoxytone). Without the accent medula is an alternate, less preferred spelling.

Examples

"El trasplante de médula ósea salvó su vida."

Natural Translation

The bone marrow transplant saved his life.

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