nerve

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A group of nerve fibers coursing together as a bundle in the peripheral nervous system. The individual fibers are covered by Schwann cells, many of which contain large amounts of myelin, which makes the nerve appear shiny white. The nerve fibers with their Schwann cell sheaths are held together by connective tissue. In most nerves, some of the fibers are sensory (carrying information to the central nervous system) and some are motor (carrying information from the central nervous system to peripheral glands and muscles). When both sensory and motor fibers are in a nerve, it is called a mixed nerve.

In the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) a group of nerve fibers running together is called a tract. Glial cells, not Schwann cells, form the sheaths of tract fibers, and there is no connective tissue holding the bundle together. Whereas most nerves are mixed, there is functional segregation in the central nervous system so that most tracts have only one functional type of fiber. See also Motor systems; Nervous system (vertebrate).

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noun

1. The quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely: braveness, bravery, courage, courageousness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, fortitude, gallantry, gameness, heart, intrepidity, intrepidness, mettle, pluck, pluckiness, spirit, stoutheartedness, undauntedness, valiance, valiancy, valiantness, valor. Informal spunk, spunkiness. Slang gut (used in plural), gutsiness, moxie. See fear/courage.
2. The state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident: assumption, audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brashness, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, chutzpah, discourtesy, disrespect, effrontery, face, familiarity, forwardness, gall¹, impertinence, impudence, impudency, incivility, insolence, nerviness, overconfidence, pertness, presumptuousness, pushiness, rudeness, sassiness, sauciness. Informal brass, crust, sauce, uppishness, uppityness. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, courtesy/discourtesy.

verb

To impart strength and confidence to: buck up, cheer (up), encourage, hearten, perk up. See help/harm/harmless.

n

Definition: daring, boldness
Antonyms: fear, modesty, shyness, timidity

v

Definition: strengthen, hearten
Antonyms: discourage, dishearten, fear, weaken

A bundle of nerve fibres together with associated connective tissue and blood vessels. Nerves provide the wiring through which electrical messages (see nerve impulse) are transmitted to and from virtually all parts of the body. A nerve containing fibres from both sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent) neurones is known as a mixed 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.

IN BRIEF: n. - Impudence; The courage to carry on; one or more bundles of fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body conveying impulse of sensation..

If you do not develop the hunger and courage to pursue your goal, you will lose your nerve and you will give up on your dream. — Les Brown

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any of the cordlike bundles, consisting of nerve fibres and glia encased in a connective-tissue sheath, that connect the central nervous system to other parts of the body. They may be motor, sensory, or of mixed function.

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A macroscopic cordlike structure of the body, comprising a collection of nerve fibers that convey impulses between a part of the central nervous system and some other body region. For a complete list of the named nerves of the body,
Depending on their function, nerves are known as sensory, motor or mixed. Sensory nerves, or afferent nerves, carry information from the periphery of the body to the brain and spinal cord. Sensations of heat, cold, pressure and pain are conveyed by the sensory nerves. Motor nerves, or efferent nerves, transmit impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the periphery, especially the muscles. Mixed nerves are composed of both motor and sensory fibers, and transmit messages in both directions.
Together, the nerves make up the peripheral nervous system, as distinguished from the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves, which carry messages to and from the brain. Spinal nerves arise from the spinal cord and pass out between the vertebrae. The various nerve fibers and cells that make up the autonomic nervous system innervate the glands, heart, blood vessels and involuntary muscles of the internal organs. For a complete list of nerves,

• accelerator n's — the cardiac sympathetic nerves, which, when stimulated, accelerate the heart rate.
• n. biopsy — specimens taken from representative nerves by separation and removal of fascicles may provide useful information in the investigation of neuromuscular disorders or neuropathies. Consideration must be given to any resulting motor or sensory deficits that might result from the procedure. In dogs, the common peroneal, ulnar and tibial nerves are the usual sources.
• n. cuff — device used in the surgical repair of nerves to protect the site of anastomosis from an in-growth of connective tissue and to promote linear regeneration of neural elements.
• depressor n. — 1. an inhibitory nerve whose stimulation depresses a motor center.
— 2. a nerve that lessens activity of an organ.
• dermal n. network — the organization of sensory nerve fibers to the dorsal root ganglia found in the dermis.
• n. endings — comprise afferent and efferent endings. Afferent endings transform sensations into acceptable stimuli by the CNS; include diffuse-free endings, free, modified free or encapsulated (e.g. tactile corpuscles, Krause's endbulbs, Golgi–Mazzoni corpuscles, genital corpuscles, lamellated corpuscles, Herbst corpuscles, Uffini corpuscles). Efferent endings transform nerve impulses into stimuli delivered to effector end organs; they include neuromuscular spindles, Golgi tendon organs.
• encapsulated n. endings — see nerve endings (above).
• excitor n. — one that transmits impulses resulting in an increase in functional activity.
• excitoreflex n. — a visceral nerve that produces reflex action.
• n. fiber — a process of a neuron, especially the long slender axon which conducts nerve impulses away from the cell. It may be medullated or nonmedullated.
• free n. endings — see nerve endings (above).
• fusimotor n's — those that innervate the intrafusal fibers of the muscle spindle.
• gangliated n. — any nerve of the sympathetic nervous system. Called also ganglionated.
• n. gas — organophosphorus compounds specially selected for their toxicity to humans and used in chemical warfare.
• n. growth factor — a protein dimer composed of two identical polypeptide chains secreted by nerve cells and necessary for the growth and survival of certain classes of nerve cells during development.
• n. impulses — the physicochemical change in a nerve fiber's membrane which is caused by stimulation, e.g. from a stretch receptor, and which transmits a record of the sensation, or, in another case, of a motor instruction to an effector organ.
• inhibitory n. — one that transmits impulses resulting in a decrease in functional activity.
• medullated n. — myelinated nerve.
• modified free n. endings — see nerve endings (above).
• myelinated n. — one whose axons are encased in a myelin sheath.
• pelvic n's — nerves of the parasympathetic outflow.
• peripheral n. — any nerve outside the central nervous system. Injury to a nerve causes pain initially and if tissue is destroyed, loss of function follows; signs are weakness or paralysis, atrophy, lower temperature and depressed reflexes.
• pilomotor n's — those that supply the arrector muscles of hair.
• pressor n. — an afferent nerve whose impulses stimulate a vasomotor center and increases intravascular tension.
• retinal n. fiber layer — layer number 9 of the retina; axons of ganglion cells, make up bundles of nerve fibers and pass to the optic disk and lamina cribrosa; from there on they become the optic nerve.
• secretory n. — an efferent nerve whose stimulation increases glandular activity.
• n. sheath — see neurilemma.
• n. sheath tumor — neurilemmoma or schwannoma.
• somatic n's — the sensory and motor nerves supplying skeletal muscle and somatic tissues.
• somatic afferent n's — sensory neurons whose cell bodies reside in spinal and cranial nerve ganglia.
• somatic efferent n's — motor neurons originating in ventral gray columns of the spinal cord and certain parts of the brain and are connected to striated muscles derived from embryonic somites.
• spinal n. — a segmental nerve which consists of afferent and efferent axons from its dorsal and ventral roots.
• splanchnic n's — those of the blood vessels and viscera, especially the visceral branches of the thoracic, lumbar and pelvic parts of the sympathetic trunks.
• n. stimulator — an electrical device used to deliver a short stimulus to a peripheral nerve as a test of its function. It can be used to assess the effects of a neuromuscular blocking agent during clinical anesthesia.
• sudomotor n's — those that innervate the sweat glands.
• sympathetic n's — 1. see sympathetic trunk.
— 2. any nerve of the sympathetic nervous system.
• n. terminal — nerve ending.
• trophic n. — one concerned with regulation of nutrition.
• n. trunk — the main body of a nerve; subsequently divides into branches.
• unmyelinated n. — one whose axons are not encased in a myelin sheath.
• vasoconstrictor n. — one whose stimulation causes narrowing of blood vessels.
• vasodilator n. — one whose stimulation causes dilatation of blood vessels.
• vasomotor n. — one concerned in controlling the caliber of vessels, whether as a vasoconstrictor or vasodilator.
• vasosensory n. — any nerve supplying sensory fibers to the vessels.
• visceral afferent n's — nerves with cell bodies in spinal and cranial ganglia and which provide sensory innervation to thoracic and abdominal tissues.
• visceral efferent n's — the parasympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system.

n

A cordlike structure that conveys impulses between a part of the central nervous system and some part of the body and consists of an outer connective tissue sheath and bundles of nerve fibers.

For a list of words related to nerve, see:

• Brain and Central Nervous System - nerve: bundle of neurons supported by connective tissue, conveying impulses of sensation or motion

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See words rhyming with "nerve."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Nerve.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - nerve, frækhed
v. tr. - styrke, stålsætte, give kraft

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    nervebundt
• get on someone's nerves    gå nogen på nerverne
• have nerves of steel    have nerver af stål
• have the nerve    have modet, være fræk nok til
• hold one's nerve    bevare roen
• keep one's nerve    bevare roen
• live on one's nerves    altid at være bekymret
• lose one's nerve    blive usikker, tabe modet
• nerve centre    nervecentrum, vigtig del
• nerve ending    nerveende
• nerve gas    nervegas
• nerve oneself    samle mod, tage sig sammen

Nederlands (Dutch)
zenuw, pees, spier-/ geestkracht, lef, moed, brutaliteit, bladnerf, zich/iemand sterken kalm blijven, zich beheersen

Français (French)
n. - (Anat) nerf, (Bot) nervure, courage, assurance, cran (de faire), culot
v. tr. - s'armer de courage pour faire

idioms:

• a bundle of nerves    paquet de nerfs, boule de nerfs
• get on someone's nerves    taper sur les nerfs de qn
• have nerves of steel    avoir des nerfs d'acier
• have the nerve    avoir le culot, avoir le cran
• hold one's nerve    garder son sang froid
• keep one's nerve    garder son sang froid
• live on one's nerves    vivre sur les nerfs
• lose one's nerve    se dégonfler (fam), disparaître tout à coup (le trac)
• nerve centre    (Anat) centre nerveux, (fig) centre névralgique
• nerve ending    terminaison nerveuse
• nerve gas    gaz neurotoxique
• nerve oneself    s'armer de courage pour faire
• of all the nerve    quel culot, quel toupet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nerv, Mut, Frechheit
v. - Mut machen

idioms:

• a bundle of nerves    Nervenbündel
• get on someone's nerves    jmdm. auf die Nerven gehen
• have nerves of steel    eiserne Nerven haben, Nerven wie Drahtseile haben
• have the nerve    den Mut haben, die Frechheit besitzen
• hold one's nerve    die Nerven behalten
• keep one's nerve    die Nerven behalten
• live on one's nerves    ständig besorgt sein
• lose one's nerve    die Nerven verlieren
• nerve centre    Nervenzentrum
• nerve ending    Nervenendigung
• nerve gas    Nervengas
• nerve oneself    sich ein Herz fassen
• of all the nerve    das ist doch die Höhe!

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυσιολ.) νεύρο, (ψυχικό) σθένος, τόλμη, θάρρος, κουράγιο, θράσος
v. - εμψυχώνω

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    νευρικότατο άτομο
• get on someone's nerves    δίνω/κτυπάω στα νεύρα του..
• have nerves of steel    έχω ατσάλινα νεύρα
• have the nerve    έχω το θράσος να..
• hold one's nerve    διατηρώ την ψυχραιμία μου
• keep one's nerve    διατηρώ την ψυχραιμία μου
• live on one's nerves    ζω με συνεχές άγχος
• lose one's nerve    χάνω την αυτοκυριαρχία μου
• nerve centre    νευρικό κέντρο, (μτφ.) κέντρο ελέγχου (οργανισμού κ.λπ.), νευραλγικό κέντρο
• nerve ending    (ανατ.) νευρική απόληξη
• nerve gas    (χημ.) νευροπαραλυτικό αέριο
• nerve oneself    επιστρατεύω το θάρρος μου

Italiano (Italian)
fegato, nervo, sfacciataggine, nervatura

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    nervi a fior di pelle
• get on someone's nerves    irritare
• have nerves of steel    avere nervi di acciaio
• have the nerve    avere la faccia tosta
• hit/touch a nerve    toccare un punto debole
• hold/keep one's nerve    mantenere la calma
• live on one's nerves    vivere con i nervi a fior di pelle
• lose one's nerve    perdere il sangue freddo
• nerve centre    centro nervoso
• nerve ending    terminazione nervosa
• nerve gas    gas nervino
• nerve oneself    farsi coraggio
• war of nerves    guerra dei nervi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nervo (m), força (f), nervura (f), coragem (f), ousadia (f) (gír.)
v. - animar

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    feixe de nervos
• get on someone's nerves    irritar alguém
• have nerves of steel    ter nervos de aço
• have the nerve    ter a ousadia de
• hit/touch a nerve    tocar num ponto central
• hold/keep one's nerve    manter-se calmo sob tensão
• live on one's nerves    levar uma vida emocionalmente desgastante
• lose one's nerve    perder os nervos
• nerve centre    centro nervoso
• nerve ending    terminação nervosa
• nerve gas    gás venenoso que ataca o sistema nervoso
• nerve oneself    enervar alguém
• war of nerves    guerra de nervos

Русский (Russian)
нерв, самоуверенность, наглость, жилка

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    комок нервов
• get on someone's nerves    действовать кому-либо на нервы
• have nerves of steel    иметь железные нервы
• have the nerve    иметь наглость
• hit/touch a nerve    затронуть за живое
• hold/keep one's nerve    сохранять хладнокровие
• live on one's nerves    жить в постоянном напряжении
• lose one's nerve    утратить мужество
• nerve centre    нервный центр, центр руководства
• nerve ending    нервное окончание
• nerve gas    нервно-парали- тический газ
• nerve oneself    собраться с духом
• war of nerves    психологическая война

Español (Spanish)
n. - nervio, valor, sangre fría, nervadura, descaro, caradura, nerviosismo
v. tr. - vigorizar, fortalecer, dar fuerza, alentar, dar valor

idioms:

• a bundle of nerves    manojo de nervios, hato de nervios
• get on someone's nerves    crisparle los nervios a uno
• have nerves of steel    tener los nervios de acero
• have the nerve    tener cara, tener valor para
• hold one's nerve    mantener la sangre fría
• keep one's nerve    mantener la sangre fría
• live on one's nerves    vivir en estado de nervios constante
• lose one's nerve    ponerse nervioso, rajarse
• nerve centre    centro nervioso, punto neurálgico
• nerve ending    terminaciones nerviosas
• nerve gas    gas neurotóxico
• nerve oneself    armarse de valor, fortalecerse
• of all the nerve    estás criticando

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nerv, mod, fräckhet, styrka
v. - göra sig beredd, ge/samla mod

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
神经, 忧虑, 焦躁, 神经过敏, 勇敢, 胆量, 鼓起勇气

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    紧张不安
• get on someone's nerves    使某人不安
• have nerves of steel    有胆量
• have the nerve    有勇气做某事, 有胆量, 有魄力, 脸皮厚
• hold one's nerve    保持镇静
• keep one's nerve    保持镇静
• live on one's nerves    过紧张不安的日子
• lose one's nerve    不知所措, 慌张
• nerve centre    神经中枢, 中枢
• nerve ending    神经末梢, 神经末端
• nerve gas    神经毒气, 神经瓦斯
• nerve oneself    振作, 鼓起勇气

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 神經, 憂慮, 焦躁, 神經過敏, 勇敢, 膽量
v. tr. - 鼓起勇氣

idioms:

• bundle of nerves    緊張不安
• get on someone's nerves    使某人不安
• have nerves of steel    有膽量
• have the nerve    有勇氣做某事, 有膽量, 有魄力, 臉皮厚
• hold one's nerve    保持鎮靜
• keep one's nerve    保持鎮靜
• live on one's nerves    過緊張不安的日子
• lose one's nerve    不知所措, 慌張
• nerve centre    神經中樞, 中樞
• nerve ending    神經末梢, 神經末端
• nerve gas    神經毒氣, 神經瓦斯
• nerve oneself    振作, 鼓起勇氣

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 신경, 중추, 힘줄, 용기, 무례
v. tr. - 고무하다, 힘을 주다

idioms:

• get on someone's nerves    안달하게 하다, ~의 신경을 건드리다
• have nerves of steel    용기가 있다
• have the nerve    ~할 용기가 있다, 뻔뻔스럽게도 ~하다
• keep one's nerve    (어려운 상황에서)침착을 유지하다
• nerve oneself    용기를 주다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 神経, 神経過敏, 厚かましさ, 勇気, 度胸, 落ち着き, 葉脈, 翅脈
v. - 励ます, 勇気づける, 勇気を出して…する

idioms:

• get on someone's nerves    苛々させる
• have the nerve    あつかましくする
• hit/touch a nerve    痛い所に触れる
• hold/keep one's nerve    平静を保つ
• nerve centre    中枢神経
• nerve ending    神経終末
• nerve gas    神経ガス
• nerve oneself    勇気をもって

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عصب, وتر (فعل) يقوي, يشجع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עצב, תעוזה, חוצפה, אומץ, עורק-העלה, עצבנות (ברבים)‬
v. tr. - ‮עודד, חיזק, אזר כוח‬

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Some good "nerve" pages on the web: