nerve

[ nurv ]
/ nɜrv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR nerve ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object), nerved, nerv·ing.

to give strength, vigor, or courage to: Encouragement had nerved him for the struggle.

Idioms for nerve

    get on one's nerves, to irritate, annoy, or provoke one: Boisterous children get on my nerves.

Origin of nerve

1350–1400; Middle English: nerve, tendon < Latin nervus sinew, tendon; akin to Greek neûron (see neuron); replacing Middle English nerf < Middle French < Latin, as above

Words nearby nerve

neruda, pablo, nerva, nerval, nervate, nervation, nerve, nerve avulsion, nerve block, nerve block anesthesia, nerve cell, nerve center

Words related to nerve

heart, confidence, stomach, grit, courage, determination, fortitude, spirit, vigor, force, energy, gameness, gall, presumption, spunk, chutzpah, endurance, guts, crust, assumption

Example sentences from the Web for nerve

British Dictionary definitions for nerve

nerve
/ (nɜːv) /

noun

verb (tr)

to give courage to (oneself); steel (oneself)
to provide with nerve or nerves
See also nerves

Word Origin for nerve

C16: from Latin nervus; related to Greek neuron; compare Sanskrit snāvan sinew

Medical definitions for nerve

nerve
[ nûrv ]

n.

Any of the cordlike bundles of nervous tissue made up of myelinated or unmyelinated nerve fibers and held together by a connective tissue sheath through which sensory stimuli and motor impulses pass between the brain or other parts of the central nervous system and the eyes, glands, muscles, and other parts of the body.
The sensitive tissue in the pulp of a tooth.
nerves Nervous agitation caused by fear, anxiety, or stress.

Scientific definitions for nerve

nerve
[ nûrv ]

Any of the bundles of fibers made up of neurons that carry sensory and motor information throughout the body in the form of electrical impulses. Afferent nerves carry information to the central nervous system, and efferent nerves carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles, organs, and glands. Efferent nerves include the nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which control voluntary motor activity and of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary motor activity.

Cultural definitions for nerve

nerve

A bundle of fibers composed of neurons that connects the body parts and organs to the central nervous system and carries impulses from one part of the body to another.

Idioms and Phrases with nerve

nerve

see bundle of nerves; get on someone's nerves; get up (one's nerve); have a nerve; lose one's nerve; of all the nerve; war of nerves.