Synaptic is the adjective for a synapse — the tiny junction where two nerve cells pass a message across a gap. It almost never stands alone; it sits in front of another word, in phrases scientists use again and again: 'synaptic gap', 'synaptic connections', 'synaptic activity', 'synaptic pruning' (when a growing brain quietly gets rid of connections it does not use).

Synaptic is the adjective for a synapseSynaptic是synapse（突觸）的形容詞 — the tiny junction where two nerve cells pass a message across a gap突觸就是兩個神經細胞之間，訊息跨過小小空隙傳遞的那個微小接點。It almost never stands alone這個字幾乎不會單獨出現; it sits in front of another word它總是放在另一個字前面, in phrases scientists use again and again出現在科學家反覆使用的詞組裡: 'synaptic gap''synaptic gap'（突觸間隙）, 'synaptic connections''synaptic connections'（突觸連結）, 'synaptic activity''synaptic activity'（突觸活動）, 'synaptic pruning''synaptic pruning'（突觸修剪） (when a growing brain quietly gets rid of connections it does not use指成長中的大腦悄悄清除用不到的連結)。

You will meet it in science writing, in psychology classes and in articles about how learning changes the brain, and hardly ever in conversation. Say sin-AP-tic, with the stress in the middle — which is different from the noun SIN-aps.

You will meet it in science writing, in psychology classes and in articles about how learning changes the brain你會在科學寫作、心理學課程，還有討論學習如何改變大腦的文章裡遇到這個字, and hardly ever in conversation但在對話裡幾乎不會出現。Say sin-AP-tic, with the stress in the middle念法是sin-AP-tic，重音在中間 — which is different from the noun SIN-aps這和名詞SIN-aps（重音在前）不一樣。