wäˈlirēən-, wȯˈlirēən- noun
Usage: usually capitalized W
Etymology: wallerian from Augustus V. Waller died 1870 English physiologist + English -an
: a degeneration of nerve fibers that follows injury or disease and progresses from the seat of injury along the axon away from the nerve cell body while the part between the seat of injury and the nerve cell body remains intact