Pronunciation: s ə b- ˌ stan(t)-sh ē - ə - ' n ī -gr ə , - ' ni-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural sub · stan · ti · ae ni · grae \ -ch ē - ˌ ē - ' n ī -( ˌ )gr ē , - ' ni- \
Etymology: New Latin, literally, black substance
Date: circa 1882
: a layer of deeply pigmented gray matter situated in the midbrain and containing the cell bodies of a tract of dopamine-producing nerve cells whose secretion tends to be deficient in Parkinson's disease