Nerve Definition
nûrv
nerved, nerves, nerving
noun
nerves
A sinew or tendon.
Webster's New World
Any of the cordlike fibers or bundles of fibers connecting the bodily organs with the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord) and parts of the nervous system with each other, and carrying impulses to and from the brain or a nerve center.
Webster's New World
The pulp of a tooth, including the nerves, blood vessels, etc.
Webster's New World
A sore point or sensitive subject.
The criticism touched a nerve.
American Heritage
Emotional control; coolness in danger; courage.
A man of nerve.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- effrontery
- audacity
- temerity
- resolution
- mettle
- spirit
- venation
- nervure
- nerve-cord
- nerve filament
- nerve tissue
- nerve-fiber
- nervus
- spunk
- heart
verb
nerved, nerves, nerving
To give strength or courage to.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
idiom
get on (someone's) nerves
- To irritate or exasperate.
American Heritage
strain every nerve
- To make every effort.
American Heritage
get on someone's nerves
- to make someone irritable or exasperated
Webster's New World
nerve oneself
- to collect one's energies or courage for an effort
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Nerve
Origin of Nerve
-
Middle English sinew, nerve from Old French nerf from Medieval Latin nervus from Latin (s)neəu- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
Recorded since circa 1374, from Medieval Latin nervus (“nerve"), from Latin nervus (“sinew").
From Wiktionary
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