Adjacent Words

Nerve definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

NERVE, n.
1. An organ of sensation and motion in animals. The nerves are prolongations of the medullary substance of the brain, which ramify and extend to every part of the body.
2. A sinew or tendon.
3. Strength; firmness of body; as a man of nerve.
4. Fortitude; firmness of mind; courage.
5. Strength; force; authority; as the nerves of discipline.
NERVE, v.t. To give strength or vigor; to arm with force; as, fear nerved his arm.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body [syn: nerve, nervus]
2: the courage to carry on; "he kept fighting on pure spunk"; "you haven't got the heart for baseball" [syn: heart, mettle, nerve, spunk]
3: impudent aggressiveness; "I couldn't believe her boldness"; "he had the effrontery to question my honesty" [syn: boldness, nerve, brass, face, cheek] v
1: get ready for something difficult or unpleasant [syn: steel, nerve]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Latin nervus sinew, nerve; akin to Greek neuron sinew, nerve, n?n to spin — more at needle Date: 14th century 1. sinew, tendon <strain every nerve> 2. any of the filamentous bands of nervous tissue that connect parts of the nervous system with the other organs, conduct nervous impulses, and are made up of axons and dendrites together with protective and supportive structures 3. a. power of endurance or control ; fortitude, strength b. assurance, boldness; also presumptuous audacity ; gall 4. a. a sore or sensitive point <her remark touched a nerve> b. plural nervous agitation or irritability ; nervousness <a case of nerves> 5. vein 3 6. the sensitive pulp of a tooth Synonyms: see temerity II. transitive verb (nerved; nerving) Date: circa 1749 to give strength or courage to ; supply with physical or moral force

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a fibre or bundle of fibres that transmits impulses of sensation or motion between the brain or spinal cord and other parts of the body. b the material constituting these. 2 a coolness in danger; bravery; assurance. b colloq. impudence, audacity (they've got a nerve). 3 (in pl.) a the bodily state in regard to physical sensitiveness and the interaction between the brain and other parts. b a state of heightened nervousness or sensitivity; a condition of mental or physical stress (need to calm my nerves). 4 a rib of a leaf, esp. the midrib. 5 poet. archaic a sinew or tendon. --v.tr. 1 (usu. refl.) brace (oneself) to face danger, suffering, etc. 2 give strength, vigour, or courage to. Phrases and idioms: get on a person's nerves irritate or annoy a person. have nerves of iron (or steel) (of a person etc.) be not easily upset or frightened. nerve-cell an elongated branched cell transmitting impulses in nerve tissue. nerve-centre 1 a group of closely connected nerve cells associated in performing some function. 2 the centre of control of an organization etc. nerve gas a poisonous gas affecting the nervous system. nerve-racking stressful, frightening; straining the nerves. Derivatives: nerved adj. (also in comb.). Etymology: ME, = sinew, f. L nervus, rel. to Gk neuron

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nerve Nerve, n. [OE. nerfe, F. nerf, L. nervus, akin to Gr. ? sinew, nerve; cf. ? string, bowstring; perh. akin to E. needle. Cf. Neuralgia.] 1. (Anat.) One of the whitish and elastic bundles of fibers, with the accompanying tissues, which transmit nervous impulses between nerve centers and various parts of the animal body. Note: An ordinary nerve is made up of several bundles of nerve fibers, each bundle inclosed in a special sheath (the perineurium) and all bound together in a connective tissue sheath and framework (the epineurium) containing blood vessels and lymphatics. 2. A sinew or a tendon. --Pope. 3. Physical force or steadiness; muscular power and control; constitutional vigor. he led me on to mightiest deeds, Above the nerve of mortal arm. --Milton. 4. Steadiness and firmness of mind; self-command in personal danger, or under suffering; unshaken courage and endurance; coolness; pluck; resolution. 5. Audacity; assurance. [Slang] 6. (Bot.) One of the principal fibrovascular bundles or ribs of a leaf, especially when these extend straight from the base or the midrib of the leaf. 7. (Zo["o]l.) One of the nervures, or veins, in the wings of insects. Nerve cell (Anat.), one of the nucleated cells with which nerve fibers are connected; a ganglion cell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nerve Nerve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nerved; p. pr. & vb. n. Nerving.] To give strength or vigor to; to supply with force; as, fear nerved his arm.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(nerves) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Nerves are long thin fibres that transmit messages between your brain and other parts of your body. ...spinal nerves. ...in cases where the nerve fibres are severed. N-COUNT 2. If you refer to someone's nerves, you mean their ability to cope with problems such as stress, worry, and danger. Jill's nerves are stretched to breaking point... I can be very patient, and then I can burst if my nerves are worn out. N-PLURAL: usu poss N 3. You can refer to someone's feelings of anxiety or tension as nerves. I just played badly. It wasn't nerves. = nervousness N-PLURAL 4. Nerve is the courage that you need in order to do something difficult or dangerous. The brandy made him choke, but it restored his nerve... He never got up enough nerve to meet me. = courage 5. If someone or something gets on your nerves, they annoy or irritate you. (INFORMAL) Lately he's not done a bloody thing and it's getting on my nerves. PHRASE: V inflects 6. If you say that someone has a nerve or has the nerve to do something, you are criticizing them for doing something which you feel they had no right to do. (INFORMAL) They've got a nerve, complaining about our behaviour... He had the nerve to ask me to prove who I was. PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval] 7. If you hold your nerve or keep your nerve, you remain calm and determined in a difficult situation. He held his nerve to beat Andre Agassi in a five-set thriller on Court One... We need to keep our nerve now. = keep your cool PHRASE: V inflects 8. If you lose your nerve, you suddenly panic and become too afraid to do something that you were about to do. The bomber had lost his nerve and fled. PHRASE: V inflects 9. If you say that you have touched a nerve or touched a raw nerve, you mean that you have accidentally upset someone by talking about something that they feel strongly about or are very sensitive about. Alistair saw Henry shrink, as if the words had touched a nerve... The mere mention of John had touched a very raw nerve indeed. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Strength, power, force, vigor, might. 2. Courage, pluck, fortitude, firmness, resolution, hardihood, manhood, self-command, steadiness, endurance, coolness. II. v. a. Strengthen, invigorate, fortify, brace, energize.

Foolish Dictionary

Breaking the hair-brush on the disobedient scion, then making him pay for a new one. See revised version, "Spare the rod and spoil the hair-brush!"

Moby Thesaurus

afferent neuron, animate, annoy, anxiety, aplomb, apprehension, assurance, assure, audacity, autonomic nervous system, axon, backbone, balance, balanced personality, balls, beef up, boldness, bolster, bottle, bottom, brace, brace up, brain, brashness, brass, bravery, brazenness, buck up, buttress, case harden, central nervous system, cerebral cortex, cheek, cheer, chirk up, chutzpah, confidence, confirm, constancy, cool, coolness, courage, craniosacral nervous system, crust, daring, dauntlessness, dendrite, determination, doughtiness, effector organ, efferent neuron, effrontery, embolden, encourage, equilibrium, face, fastness, fearlessness, firmness, fortify, fortitude, forwardness, fretfulness, fright, gall, ganglion, gird, gray matter, grit, gumption, guts, gutsiness, guttiness, harden, hardihood, hardiness, heart, heart of oak, hearten, homeostasis, hysteria, impertinence, imperturbability, importunacy, importunateness, impudence, insolence, inspire, inspirit, internuncial neuron, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, invariability, invigorate, irritate, medullary sheath, mettle, moxie, nerve trunk, nerves, nervous system, nervousness, neuron, peripheral nervous system, pith, plexus, pluck, presumption, presumptuousness, prop, pushiness, reassure, refresh, reinforce, reinvigorate, reliability, resoluteness, restrengthen, rootedness, sand, sang-froid, sauce, secureness, security, self-assertion, self-assertiveness, self-expression, self-expressiveness, sensorium, sensory area, sensory cell, shore up, solar plexus, solidity, soundness, spinal cord, spirit, spunk, stability, stable equilibrium, stable state, stamina, staunchness, steadfastness, steadiness, steady nerves, steady state, steel, stiffen, stout heart, strengthen, stress, substantiality, support, sustain, synapse, temerity, temper, tenacity, tension, the heebie-jeebies, thoracolumbar nervous system, toughen, toughness, undeflectability, undergird, uniformity, unshakable nerves, unshakableness, upset, valor, white matter, will, worry