nerven.

Brit.

/nəːv/, U.S.

/nərv/

Forms: Middle English–1600s nerue, 1500s– nerve, 1600s narue, 1600s nearue, 1600s nerv; U.S. regional 1800s– narve; Scottish pre-1700 narve, pre-1700 nerue, pre-1700 1700s– nerve; also Irish English (northern) 1900s– narve.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin nervus.

Etymology: < classical Latin nervus nerve, sinew, tendon, penis, plant fibre, animal tendon used for a particular purpose, bowstring, apparatus for securing prisoners, (plural) strength, vigour, energy, probably related to ancient Greek νεῦρον sinew, tendon, penis, plant fibre, bowstring, (plural) strength, vigour, in Hellenistic Greek (Galen, etc.) also in sense ‘nerve’ (compare branch 1a); < the Indo-European base also of Sanskrit snāvan, snāyu sinew (also in compound a-snāvira without sinews), Avestan snāvar- sinew, and comparable forms in other Indo-European languages.Compare ( < classical Latin nervus ) Old French, Middle French, French nerf (c1100: see nerf n.¹ and note below), Italian nervo (1292), and ( < classical Latin nervium ) Old Occitan, Occitan nervi (12th cent. in sense ‘tendon’), Spanish nervio (1251), German Nerv (early 16th cent.). A number of the senses are paralleled in French, as tendon (c1100), bowstring (c1282), nerve (1314), penis (1546 in Rabelais in the passage translated in quot. 1693¹ at sense 6), (plural) vigour (1559), architectural rib or moulding on a vault (1676), vein on a leaf (1685). With war of nerves (see Phrases 5) compare French guerre des nerfs (1940). With attack of nerves (see sense 13a) compare French attaque de nerfs (1835). With to have the nerve (see sense 14b) perhaps compare French avoir du nerf to have the energy (1787). With to get on a person's nerves (see Phrases 4) compare French donner sur les nerfs (1867). With the nerves of war (see sense 9a) compare Middle French, French les nerfes des batailles (1534 in Rabelais), le nerf de la guerre (1591), both with allusion to money. With sense 4 compare Middle French, French nervure (see nervure n.), Middle French, French nervin (c1550 in sense ‘piping on a piece of clothing’; 2nd half of the 14th cent. denoting the cord on a veil), and also nerve v. 1. Some early plural forms in sense 2 are perhaps rather to be interpreted as showing nerf n.¹

I. Specific concrete uses.

a. Any of the whitish, cord-like structures that connect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) with sensory receptors and effector organs (chiefly muscles and glands) in the rest of the body.Typically a nerve consists of one or more bundles of fibres (cell processes) with supporting tissue, and transmits signals in the form of electrical impulses to and from the central nervous system.abducens, accessory, cranial, hypoglossal, Jacobson's, motor, sciatic nerve, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > [noun]

sinew1398

nervea1400

cordc1400

chord?1541

line1611

lingual1778

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 25^v Certeyn synewis..hatte nerui odorabiles.]

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 251 (MED) It is opilacioun of þe nerue þat comeþ fro þe brain & is holow & defendiþ þe siȝt, or it is cataracta þat is greet & stoppiþ þe nerue, & stoppiþ þe weie of þe spirit þat it mai not come to þe poynt of þe siȝt þat is clepid pupilla.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9 A nerue [?c1425 Paris synowy; L neruus] is a symple membre made to gif feling & mouyng to musculez & oþer particlez.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9^v (MED) Þer be 7 pair of neruez which inmediatly springeþ of þe brayn, And 30 which be middes of nucha, And without felawe þat spryngeþ bi þe ende of ossarij.

1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 1^v The Nerues, which are the organs of sence.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. ix. 21 Yet ha we A Braine that nourishes our Nerues .

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §400 An Eye..thrust forth, so as it hanged a pretty distance by the Visuall Nerve.

1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iv. xxv. 293 Certain Spirits and Membranes, which..involve the Brain and all the Nerves.

1705 F. Fuller Medicina Gymnastica 29 Cutting off a Nerve, always causes the wasting of the Part to which that Nerve lead[s].

1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §102 As the nerves are instruments of sensation, it follows that spasms in the nerves may produce all symptoms.

1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 4 340 Fallopius was the first who distinguished this nerve from the proper nerve of the voice.

1873 St. G. Mivart Lessons Elem. Anat. ix. 399 The spinal nerves arise in pairs from opposite sides of the spinal marrow.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 351 Lesions of the tegmental region are specially apt to affect the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth nerves.

1949 A. Koestler Insight & Outlook x. 148 Compare the short refractory period or afterdischarge of nerves.

1978 J. Miller Body in Question (1982) viii. 297 What happens when a nerve stimulates a muscle is..similar to what happens when a firing-pin detonates a charge of gunpowder.

1986 M. Hughes Dream Catcher vii. 94 If you can feel pain there is no damage to the nerves.

2001 Saga Nutritional Suppl. Spring Catal. Spring 36 The B vitamins..are thought to aid general metabolism, nerves, skin and the immune system.

b. Nerve tissue.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre

nerve1839

nerve fibre1839

nerve tube1839

nerve tubule1849

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 596/1 The influence which nerve exerts upon muscle to provoke it to contraction.

1877 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol. (ed. 4) 257 Tease out a bit of fresh nerve in..sodic chloride.

1905 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 76 337 Place a piece of nerve as truly in a straight line as possible between non-polarisable electrodes.

1975 Nature 6 Nov. 12/1 Teratomas and teratocarcinomas are rare tumours which arise in the gonads, and contain a whole variety of differentiated tissues of ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal origin (such as skin, nerve, muscle, cartilage, gut and lung), mixed together in a disorganised mass.

1993 Men's Health July 65/1 To relieve pain, [acupuncture] needles are inserted into ‘motor points’, spots in the body where nerve enters muscle.

†2. A sinew or tendon. In later use poetic. Obsolete.The words nerve and sinew seem to have been used almost interchangeably for cord-like structures of the body (‘nerves’ and ‘tendons’ in the modern sense) in Middle English, with some confusion between the two words persisting until the early 17th cent. (and later in literary use) (cf. sinew n. 1, 2).In many of these quotations nerve may also be interpreted in sense 1a.In quot. 1818: (perhaps) the spermatic cord.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > sinew, tendon, or ligament > [noun]

sinec725

sinewOE

stringc1000

bend1398

nerfa1400

nervea1400

cordc1400

ligamentc1400

ligaturec1400

couple1535

chord?1541

lien?1541

tendon?1541

tendant1614

artery1621

leader1708

ligamentum1713

chorda1807

vinculum1859

Tenon's capsule1868

tendo1874

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 160 If þer be ony nerues [L. neruus] or arterijs ouþer veynes kutt.

c1450 J. Metham Physiognomy in Wks. (1916) 139 Feet the qwyche be fulle off neruys and veynys..sygnyfe dycrecion and gentylnes.

a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 105 Thys ordur unyte & concord wherby the partys of thys body are as hyt were wyth senowys & nervys knyt togyddur.

1568 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS f. 239 Lufe..Quhilk did my hairt in pecis kerve And pers throw every vane & nerve [v.r. narve].

?1606 M. Drayton Ode ix, in Poemes sig. C2^v Vp whose steepe side that swerues, It behoues haue strong nerues.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 105 Before his tender Joints with Nerves are knit.

1818 P. B. Shelley Julian & Maddalo 425 Like some maniac monk, I had torn out The nerves of manhood by their bleeding root.

a. Botany. A vein of a leaf or analogous part of a plant; spec. the midrib or a vein parallel to it.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [noun] > part or side of > rib or vein

nerve?a1425

ribc1450

vein?c1450

sinew1551

brawn1601

master-vein1658

costa1699

venule1766

pen1773

surculus1775

midrib1793

venule1806

veinlet1807

rachis1830

nervure1842

nerving1854

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 171^v Be þe herbez clensed fro neruez or þredez.

1585 J. Higgins tr. Junius Nomenclator 113 Neruus. The nerue, sinew or string of a leafe, as in plantaine.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 612 There is an Hearbe..the Nearue whereof in the middle is red.

1671 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1694) ii. 68 Through the middle of it run two black Stroaks or Nerves to the Stalk.

1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs I. 180 The Leaves are smal and fine, growing by Couples on each Side of a Nerve or Rib.

1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 794 The nerve or keel does not extend to the extremity of the leaves.

1832 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. i. ii. 88 If other veins similar to the midrib pass from the base to the apex of a leaf, such veins have been named nerves.

1863 M. J. Berkeley Handbk. Brit. Mosses iii. 14 There is one central nerve of variable length and thickness, occasionally projecting far beyond the tip of the leaf.

1886 Harper's Mag. May 841 Its neighbour creeps prostrate by its side, following the course of a lateral nerve of the leaf.

1906 H. J. Elwes & A. Henry Trees Great Brit. & Irel. IV. 957 Alnus tenuifolia... Upper surface [of leaves] dark green, pubescent on the midrib & nerves.

1937 S. F. Armstrong Brit. Grasses (ed. 3) i. vii. 152 Poa trivialis... Hairs may be present on the lower half of the dorsal nerve (keel), but none are present on the remaining nerves.

1965 P. Bell & D. Coombe tr. Strasburger's Textbk. Bot. (new ed.) 161 The thicker nerves, also referred to as ribs, usually project on the lower surface of the leaf like a framework.

1999 Functional Ecol. 13 399/1 Care was taken to measure the leaf blade in between the leaf nerves.

b. Entomology. A nervure or vein in an insect's wing. Now rare or historical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [noun] > wings(s) > nervure

vein1658

nerve1752

venule1806

nervure1817

riba1836

subcosta1852

cubitus1895

media1895

cubit-

1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 69 Tetraptera. Insects having four wings. Class the Third, Neuroptera. Those which have membranaceous wings, with nerves and veins disposed in a reticulated form in them.

1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. II. 341 Wings slightly tinted with brown, and the nerves obscure.

1833 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. III. 277 The nerves of the wings in almost all the Diptera, are perfectly distinct.

1932 W. P. Flint & C. L. Metcalf Insects iv. 75 A very large battalion [of insects] was called the Neuroptera, or ‘nerve-winged insects’ because there are so many of the fine strengthening rods or ‘nerves’ running through the wing membranes.

†4. Scottish. A thread or narrow band of material used to ornament a garment. Cf. nerve v. 1. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > other

jace1399

loopa1475

shakers1506

aglet1530

nerve1531

pipe1533

targeting1563

pinion1583

pinioning1597

tzitzit1618

loop-lace1632

button1671

tip1681

fal-lal1703

falbala1705

furbelow1706

jewelling1718

weeper1724

pompom1748

chiffons1765

foliage-trimming1818

mancheron1822

piping1825

manchette1835

patte1835

streamer1838

waterfall1841

paillette1843

brandenburgs1873

motif1882

patch1884

smocking1888

jockey1896

strapping1898

steel1899

sparklet1902

slotting1923

1531 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 20 For xv elnis blak satyn..to be ane goune cuttit out with tway nervis of the selff.

1532 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 78 To be ane hogtoun with lumbardis and nervis..viij elnis blak veluot.

5. A string or cord made from animal tendon; esp. a bowstring. In later use chiefly poetic. Now rare or historical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > main sinew > sinew or tendon extracted

nerve1653

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > archer's weapons > [noun] > bow > string

stringa900

bowstring1486

nerve1719

1653 Ld. Brouncker tr. R. Descartes Excellent Compend. Musick 8 The Nerves of a Lute, of which when any one is percussed, those strings, which are an eight, or fifth more acute, tremble and resound of their own accord.

1674 A. Cremer tr. J. Scheffer Hist. Lapland 100 Pine or Deale boards, not fasten'd with nails, but sew'd together..commonly with Rain-deers nerves.

1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. iv. 8 Close to his Breast he strains the Nerve below, 'Till the barb'd Point approach the circling Bow.

1719 E. Young Busiris i. 4 When a Persian Arm Can Thus with Vigour its Reluctance bend,..And to the Nerve its stubborn Force subdue.

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. viii. 371 Teucer had newly fitted to the nerve An arrow keen.

1802 Brookes' Gazetteer (ed. 12) at Lapland They prepare the nerves of the raindeer in such a manner as to make them serve for thread.

1818 J. Keats Endymion iv. 179 He tries the nerve of Phœbus' golden bow.

1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind 130 They would throw nerves or sinews into the fire.

1968 J. Arnold Shell Bk. Country Crafts 221 The Englishman..keeping his right hand at rest upon ‘the nerve’..pressed the whole weight of his body into the horns of his bow.

†6. The penis. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis

weapona1000

tarsec1000

pintleOE

cock?c1335

pillicock?c1335

yard1379

arrowa1382

looma1400

vergea1400

instrumentc1405

fidcocka1475

privya1500

virile member (or yard)?1541

prickc1555

tool1563

pillock1568

penis1578

codpiece1584

needle1592

bauble1593

dildo1597

nag1598

virility1598

ferret1599

rubigo?a1600

Jack1604

mentula1605

virge1608

prependent1610

flute1611

other thing1628

engine1634

manhood1640

cod1650

quillity1653

rammer1653

runnion1655

pego1663

sex1664

propagator1670

membrum virile1672

nervea1680

whore-pipe1684

Roger1689

pudding1693

handle?1731

machine1749

shaft1772

jock1790

poker1811

dickyc1815

Johnny?1833

organ1833

intromittent apparatus1836

root1846

Johnson1863

Peter1870

John Henry1874

dickc1890

dingusc1890

John Thomasc1890

old fellowc1890

Aaron's rod1891

dingle-dangle1893

middle leg1896

mole1896

pisser1896

micky1898

baby-maker1902

old man1902

pecker1902

pizzle1902

willy1905

ding-dong1906

mickey1909

pencil1916

dingbatc1920

plonkerc1920

Johna1922

whangera1922

knob1922

tube1922

ding1926

pee-pee1927

prong1927

pud1927

hose1928

whang1928

dong1930

putz1934

porkc1935

wiener1935

weenie1939

length1949

tadger1949

winkle1951

dinger1953

winky1954

dork1961

virilia1962

rig1964

wee-wee1964

Percy1965

meat tool1966

chopper1967

schlong1967

swipe1967

chode1968

trouser snake1968

ding-a-ling1969

dipstick1970

tonk1970

noonies1972

salami1977

monkey1978

langer1983

wanker1987

a1680 J. Bargrave Pope Alexander VII (1867) ii. 138 Receiving so many blows a day with a bull's nerve, until he was beaten to death.

1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xxxi. 261 The Cavernous Nerve; whose office is to ejaculate the Moisture for the Propagation of Humane Progeny.

1693 J. Dryden tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires x. 204 The limber Nerve, in vain provok'd to rise.

1705 J. Dunton Whipping-post 10 July v. 19 [A man says to] a wrinkl'd Hag.., the slack Nerve refuses to engage, And flys Love's Sepulchre, the Lustful Age.

†7. Architecture. A rib or moulding on a vault. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > other mouldings

bowtell1376

crownwork1594

protypum1601

chaplet1623

bandeleta1645

bedding-moulding1664

quadra1664

surbase1678

platband1696

bed-moulding1703

eyebrow1703

square1703

gorge1706

nerve1728

heel1734

quirk-moulding1776

star1781

bead1799

rope moulding1813

zigzag1814

chevron-moulding1815

nebule1823

billet1835

dancette1838

pellet moulding1838

vignette moulding1842

bird's beak moulding1845

beak-head ornament1848

beak-head1849

billet moulding1851

beading1858

bead-work1881

Venetian dentil1892

chevron-work-

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Nerves, in Architecture, are the Mouldings of the Projecting-Arches of Vaults.

1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 589 Nerves, the mouldings of the groined ribs of Gothic vaults.

1838 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 2) 85 Nerves, the mouldings on the surface of a vault.

†8. = stock n.¹ 8a. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > public or popular punishments > [noun] > punishing by pillory or stocks > pillory or stocks

stocksc1325

pilloryc1330

stocka1382

gofe1489

stretchneck1543

harmans1567

foot trap1585

pigeonholes1592

jougs1596

berlina1607

halsfang1607

gorget1635

cippusa1637

nutcrackers1648

catasta1664

wooden cravat1676

the wooden ruff1677

neck stock1681

wooden casement1685

timber-stairsc1750

Norway neckcloth1785

law-neck-cloth1789

stoop1795

timber1851–4

nerve1854

1854 N. Wiseman Fabiola ii. xxi Let this Lucianus be kept in the nerve (stocks) with his feet stretched to the fifth hole.

II. Extended, figurative, and phrasal uses relating to strength, vigour, or force (cf. sense 2).Many of the extended uses in this branch correspond closely to the extended uses of sinew (as well as to uses of classical Latin nervus and French nerf).

†9.

a. In plural. Those things, qualities, elements, etc., which constitute the main strength or vigour of something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > strengthening or confirmation of immaterial things > [noun] > a source or means of > strength or force behind war, state, nation, etc.

sinew1560

nerves1598

animal spirit1719

stamina1779

brawn1883

1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia sig. A4^v A fift Element he doth auerre: Deserues not he to make the wise men euen, Who odly thus makes odd the Nerues of heauen?

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 54 Agamemnon, Thou great Commander, nerues and bone of Greece.

1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 86 Not that he wanted (the nerves of war) mony.

1683 T. Tenison Argument for Union 20 They have the Nerves of worldly Power, that is, banks of Money.

1728 J. Morgan Hist. Barbary Epitomiz'd in Compl. Hist. Algiers I. 98 The Camels are to them the very Nerves of War and the Regales of Peace.

1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. xvi. 564 Prosperity had relaxed the nerves of discipline.

1832 J. Austin Province Jurispr. vi. 319 Good laws well administered, are..the nerves of the common weal [in Bacon's figurative language].

b. In singular in same sense. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1683 J. Dryden & N. Lee Duke of Guise ii. ii. 18 Ordnance, Munition, and the Nerve of War, Sound Infantry.

1726 tr. J. Cavalier Mem. Wars Cevennes i. 109 Money, which is the Nerve and Sinew of War.

1834 N. Amer. Rev. Oct. 452 It crushes its best affections and tears out the very nerve of its inner life.

1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 341 Hannibal had been the nerve and soul of the war.

1894 J. R. Illingworth Personality iii. 65 Morality, which is the very nerve of personality.

†10. Strength, vigour, energy. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun]

greennesseOE

lustinessc1325

forcea1375

vigourc1386

virrc1575

vigour1602

nerve1605

vivacity1649

vis1650

actuosity1660

amenity1661

vogue1674

energy1783

smeddum1790

dash1796

throughput1808

feck1811

go1825

steam1826

jism1842

vim1843

animalism1848

fizz1856

jasm1860

verve1863

snap1865

sawdusta1873

élan1880

stingo1885

energeticism1891

sprawl1894

zip1899

pep1908

jazz1912

zoom1926

toe1963

zap1968

stank1997

1605 G. Chapman et al. Eastward Hoe iii. sig. E2 Braue Gossip, all that I can do To my best Nerue, is wholly at your seruice.

1659 J. Milton Civil Power in Wks. (1851) V. 336 Having herin the scripture so copious and so plane, we have all that can be properly calld true strength and nerve.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 639 He led me on to mightiest deeds Above the nerve of mortal arm.

1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 34 Not..too near extreme wealth to slacken the nerve of labour.

1841 G. Catlin Lett. N. Amer. Indians II. lvi. 207 Nerve was given liberally to our paddles.

1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. (1897) I. ix. 269 The Normans..added nerve and force to the system with which they identified themselves.

11. spec.

a. Strength and durability (of wool); elasticity (of rubber). rare.

ΚΠ

1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 144 Too long a continuance of the wool in the yolk water, hurts its quality very much, by weakening its cohesion, causing the filaments to swell, and even to split. It is said then to have lost its nerve.

1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. at Nerve 11. Rubber. The aggregate of the physical properties, esp. elasticity, characteristic of raw rubber; rubbery quality... 12. Textiles. Strength and durability of wool fiber.

1947 A. H. Warth Chem. & Technol. Waxes vi. 292 In milling, after the crepe rubber has lost its nerve on the mill, the wax is immediately introduced in small portions at at time.

†b. Of cork: the property of having a non-porous surface. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1878 Encycl. Brit. VI. 402/1 In the heating operation the surface is charred, and thereby the pores are closed up, and what is termed ‘nerve’ is given to the material.

III. Extended, figurative, and phrasal uses relating to nervous or mental activity.

12.

a. Chiefly in plural. In non-scientific contexts, with reference to a person's feeling, courage, disposition, etc. Now frequently in to live on one's nerves: to lead a highly stressful or emotionally demanding life.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > courage > [noun]

elne888

bieldc890

daringc1374

coraiouste1382

inwit1382

courageousnessa1513

courage1540

couragie1556

valour1581

nerve1602

stoutheartednessa1683

noble-heartedness1836

lionheartedness1885

gut1893

gutsiness1893

bottle1958

the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > seat of the emotions > [noun] > nerves

nerve1602

the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)] > continuously

to live on one's nerves1927

1602 B. Jonson Poetaster Induct. sig. A2 Light, I salute thee; but with wounded nerues .

1742 A. Pope New Dunciad 56 Racks and Tortures soon shall..Break all their nerves, and fritter all their sense.

1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 12 Those powers that..Catch every nerve, and vibrate through the frame.

1801 M. Edgeworth Angelina iv, in Moral Tales II. 85 Not the fittest companion in the world, for a person of your ladyship's nerves.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Walking to Mail in Poems (new ed.) II. 51 What know we of the secret of a man? His nerves were wrong.

1879 R. Browning Martin Relph 56 We soldiers need nerves of steel!

1927 Daily Tel. 1 Nov. 7 The correspondence about the dramatic version of ‘The Secret Agent’..is almost interminable. One sees that Conrad lived on his nerves, as the French say, and that he took a secret delight in parading his petty cares.

1972 M. Shadbolt Strangers & Journeys xxiv. 527 ‘Of course I've bloody well tried,’ I snapped, and then was sorry. My nerves were ragged.

1989 Mod. Painters Autumn 74/1 Modernism..condemns its artists to live on their nerves, without any tradition to have recourse or reference to or any conventions to rebound off.

b. In extended use. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. 888 The Political Nerves and Arteries, by which their several Parts..are united to one another.

1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 487 The Muse..pours a sensibility divine Along the nerve of every feeling line.

1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) ii. 126 The nerves of the faith of Israel were not unstrung.

1898 H. H. Furness in Winter's Tale Pref. 13 In feeling the pulse of that public he had as a guide the most sensitive of nerves: the pocket.

2000 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 33 471 John Timbs [in 1868]..described the metropolis's telegraph system as ‘the nerves of London’.

13.

a. In plural. Disordered or heightened sensitivity; anxiety, fearfulness, tension, nervousness; spec. nervousness suffered (by an actor, sportsman, etc.) before or during a performance, etc. Frequently in attack of nerves and variants.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness

nerves1742

nervosity1787

nervousness1798

all-overs1829

nerviness1916

vertical gust1917

wind-up1917

vertical breeze1925

nail-biting1952

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > neurosis

nerves1742

neurosis1783

neuropathy1857

nervosisme1884

neurose1886

neuroticism1900

the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > unhealthy excitement > [noun]

hysterica passio1769

hysteria1839

nerves1892

1742 H. Walpole Let. 10 June (1955) XVII. 452 I am afraid I have a little fever upon my spirits, or at least I have nerves, which you know everybody has in England.

1817 J. Austen Let. 23 Mar. (1952) 141 Nervous enough in some respects, but in others perfectly without nerves!

1838 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby (1839) xxi. 201 What is my wife's complaint?.. Is it nerves?

1840 E. S. Wortley Eva v. i. 108 My lady hath a sharp attack of nerves; A terrible malady—I know it well!

1892 M. North Recoll. Happy Life I. 107 That tree..always gave me a fit of nerves.

1914 G. W. Young From Trenches vii. 143 The control of the population is admirable in its restraint. We have no ‘nerves’ here yet.

1948 A. Christie Taken at Flood i. i. 20 The poor girl was blitzed and had shock from blast... She's a mass of nerves.

1960 J. Betjeman in London Mag. Nov. 13 Pre-prize day nerves? Or too much bitter beer?

1987 Grimsby Evening Tel. 7 Dec. 12 Just as nerves began to affect all four players Henry cleared the colours in the seventh frame.

1996 S. Woolfe Leaning towards Infinity (1998) 39 It was a story he's told me many times—how Grandma Fernandez had scared her daughter silly and that was why my mother had developed nerves.

†b. An attack or fit of anxiety or fear. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness > a fit of nervousness

nervosity1791

nerve1816

needle1874

1816 J. Austen Emma I. xi. 195 She..had many fears and many nerves .

14.

a. Coolness in adversity or danger; boldness, courage, assurance.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > courage > spirit > nerve > [noun]

bravour1695

animal spirits1696

nerve1809

moxie1930

1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. II. vi. ii. 91 He..spoke forth, like a man of nerve and vigour.

1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. xiv. 192 You have nerve enough, you know, for anything.

1852 Ld. Tennyson Ode Wellington 37 O iron nerve to true occasion true!

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxvii. 456 Do you think you have nerve to cut this hook out of my finger?

1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. x. 233 I'm just a fool who hangs round without the nerve to act.

1937 ‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier xii. 227 The first men who went up in aeroplanes were superlatively brave, and even to-day it must need an exceptionally good nerve to be a pilot.

1958 Argosy Sept. 15 In the imperial air itself, the nerve it took, the calm arrogance of their strange and self-sufficient alliance.

1980 B. Castle Castle Diaries 107 The next few months are going to take all my nerve as the press sensationalizes every incident in every hospital.

2002 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 1/4 Rhona Martin kept her nerve with the very last stone of the match.

b. colloquial. Audacity, impudence, cheek. Esp. in to have a nerve (also to have the nerve to).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > be or become impudent [verb (intransitive)] > be impudent enough to

to have the face (to do something)?1562

to have the conscience1595

to have the cheek (to do something)1823

to have a nerve1887

1887 Lantern (New Orleans) 6 Aug. 3/3 Oh, this is a nerve, sure.

1890 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang II. 84/2 Nerve (Eton), impudence.

a1901 B. E. Woolf Mighty Dollar in B. H. Clark Favorite Amer. Plays 19th Cent. (1943) 490 They come down here and parade about the legislative halls of the nation with more nerve than a duly elected member.

a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. xx. 352 More money!.. You have got a nerve!—when factories are shutting down everywhere.

1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Apr. 4/2 No one had the nerve to claim this should be done, because it would have been laughed out of court immediately.

1930 V. Sackville-West Edwardians vi. 220 The cabby exclaimed that the young toff had a nerve and no mistake.

1955 ‘N. Shute’ Requiem for Wren (1956) 96 Making a survey I suppose. Photographing everything he can. He's got a bloody nerve.

1988 D. Lodge Nice Work iv. i. 133 I didn't think you'd have the nerve to show your face in this place again.

Phrases

P1. to strain every nerve and similar phrases: to make a great physical effort; to make the utmost effort.

ΚΠ

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1646 This utter'd, straining all his nerves he bow'd.

a1771 T. Gray Statius in Mem. (1775) 9 He..Brac'd all his nerves, and every sinew strung.

1780 T. Jefferson Corr. in Wks. (1859) I. 251 We shall exert every nerve to assist you.

1894 L. Stephen Playground of Europe (new ed.) viii. 184 We strained every nerve to reach the top.

1939 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 23 Dec. in Yours, Plum (1990) 145 Do strain every nerve to get me a definite commission.

1989 P. Stead Film & Working Class (BNC) 31 Comedians had to strain every nerve and to try every joke in order to release that laughter.

†P2. to be all nerve (also to be nerve all over): to be hypersensitive or excessively nervous. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)]

to take ona1450

seethe1609

trepidate1623

to take on oneself1632

flutter1668

pother1715

to be upon the nettle (also in a nettle)1723

to be nerve all over1778

to be all nerve1819

to be (all) on wires1824

to break up1825

to carry on1828

to be on (occasionally upon or on the) edge1872

faff1874

to have kittens1900

flap1910

to be in, get in(to), a flap1939

to go sparec1942

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

faffle1965

to get one's knickers in a twist1971

to have a canary1971

to wet one's pants1979

tweak1981

1778 F. Burney Evelina III. iii. 28 ‘Your Ladyship's constitution..is infinitely delicate.’ ‘Indeed it is... I am nerve all over!’

1819 C. Dibdin Young Arthur 226 While yawning deeps and ruthless rocks engage His fever'd mind, each vein prepar'd to start, His frame's all nerve and ev'ry nerve an heart.

1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. i. v. 151 Paul seemed to be always in a state of nervous tension. ‘He is all nerve,’ the Venetian minister..writes of him.

P3. to touch (also hit) a (raw) nerve: to provoke an emotional response, esp. by introducing a contentious, delicate, or poignant subject.

ΚΠ

1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence x. 138 You touched a nerve, my dear Mrs. Layton, when you satarised old bachelors.

1861 G. Meredith Evan Harrington II. v. 91 ‘Touching a nerve’ is one of those unforgiveable small offences which, in our civilised state, produce the social vendettas and dramas that, with savage nations, spring from the spilling of blood.

1899 Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer 21 July 8/4 Your mother looks at you sometimes in church when the sermon touches a particularly raw nerve in your spiritual makeup.

1920 Times 22 Sept. 9/1 Nor is that the only raw nerve that has been touched.

1951 L. P. Hartley My Fellow Devils xiv. 132 The chagrin and disappointment he had suffered touched some nerve in him that intelligence and ambition and industry had never reached.

1962 Listener 22 Mar. 512/2 Lukács's description of existentialism as a ‘permanent carnival of fetishized inwardness’ touched a raw nerve.

1974 E. Ambler Dr. Frigo ii. 114 I had touched a nerve. ‘Delvert! That man is..corrupt.’

1994 This Mag. (Toronto) Nov. 13/1 Elena hit a nerve and found herself the centre of a heated debate.

2000 Independent 10 Aug. ii. 4/3 The Slow Cities project touches a nerve because one of the growing divisions in our society is not about money but about time: between the time-rich and the time-poor.

P4. to get on a person's nerves: to (begin to) be a source of irritation or anxiety to a person.In more recent use the commonest implication is of annoyance or irritation rather than of worry or fear.

ΚΠ

1891 O. Wilde Picture of Dorian Gray xix. 325 Perhaps you are tired of Gladys? I thought you would be. Her clever tongue gets on one's nerves.

1908 H. G. Wells War in Air iv. 125 This flying gets on one's nerves.

1920 B. Cronin Timber Wolves ii. 34 Hotel hogs, I call 'em. Come in and jolly a chap as if they owned the whole joke. Gets on your nerves when you've been out of your bed all night.

1959 T. S. Eliot Elder Statesman iii. 99 I remember, when I came home for the holidays How it used to get on my nerves, when I saw you Always sitting there with your nose in a book.

1972 J. Wilson Hide & Seek vii. 118 Alice and I are really close, even if we do get on each other's nerves sometimes.

2000 New Republic 18 Dec. 30/2 One of the..motifs of Sylvia Plath's journals..is Ted's greasy hair and ragged nails..getting on her nerves.

P5.

war of nerves n. the use of hostile or subversive propaganda to undermine morale and cause confusion and uncertainty; psychological warfare; also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > psychological warfare

psychological war1918

psychological warfare1939

war of nerves1939

nerve war1941

psychological operations1951

psy-war1951

psy-op1965

1939 Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. 26 465 A propaganda war could be a substitute for a war of physical destruction. For a moment, during the war of nerves, it seemed that that might come to pass.

1940 Ann. Reg. 1939 81 The British public..did not allow the ‘war of nerves’ organised by the Nazi Government to interfere in the least with its August holiday.

1953 E. Simon Past Masters iv. ii. 223 War of nerves... Best thing to do is take no notice.

1974 P. Wright Lang. Brit. Industry ii. 26 Recent threats of conflicts have produced, e.g., cold war and war of nerves.

1989 R. Whiting You gotta have Wa (1990) ii. 49 The ‘get-set’ ritual in sumo, for example, with its squatting, stamping, and fierce glaring, has its equivalent in the war of nerves the pitcher and the batter wage, which involves delaying tactics like calling time and cleaning spikes.

Compounds

C1.

a. attributive. Chiefly Physiology and Medicine.

† nerve-ache n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1822 J. M. Good Study Med. III. 286 Nerve-ache of the face.

1864 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 304 Thackeray had a nerve-ache of this sort always.

nerve action n.

ΚΠ

1851 T. Laycock tr. J. A. Unzer Princ. Physiol. 223 If a nerve causes nerve actions..the impression is transmitted along the nerve upwards to the brain.

1884 Mind 9 189 They appear to prove that there are pleasures and pains inherent in certain forms of nerve-action as such, wherever that action occurs.

1991 Time 3 June 63/2 Neither chemical came with a warning of dangerous interaction, but the impact of diazinon, an organophosphate that inhibits nerve action, was apparently magnified by the Tagamet.

nerve branch n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1874 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 164 135 The sinus giving off branches in which the nerve-branches lie.

1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. i. 26 This ganglion is connected with the corresponding spinal nerve by a thin nerve-branch.

1997 New Scientist 13 Dec. 8/1 Researchers found that dorsal root ganglia, swellings on nerve branches near the spinal cord that lie within the vertebrae, are infective.

nerve bulb n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > [noun] > grey matter > nerve centre

ganglion1805

centre1809

nerve bulb1862

nerve centre1870

1862 Proc. Royal Soc. 1860–62 11 81 The elements of the picture-seeing eye are..1st, a nerve-fibre, and bulb; 2ndly, a cell..resting on the nerve-bulb.

1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 678 The granular mass..is probably a sensory nerve-bulb.

1961 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 243 221 Many nerve bulbs are seated in cup-like depressions of the intrafusal muscle fibres.

nerve bundle n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 248 Branches pass off and run on the surface of the sarcolemma, probably passing on to other nerve-bundles.

1964 S. Duke-Elder Parsons' Dis. Eye (ed. 14) xxi. 306 The early changes are characteristic nerve-bundle defects.

1990 Q. Jrnl. Med. 67 1215 The presence of cellular infiltrations in autonomic ganglia and nerve bundles at autopsy.

nerve chain n.

ΚΠ

1874 Philos. Trans. 1873 (Royal Soc.) 163 635 The nerve-chain shows five ganglia in the thoracic region.

1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 505 A ventral sinus..lodging the nerve-chain.

1970 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 66 455 A 0.5-cm section of the sympathetic nerve chain was removed low in the neck.

nerve channel n.

ΚΠ

1875 Proc. Royal Soc. 1874–5 23 313 White blood-cells..are found..in rows in the nerve-channels.

1951 J. M. Fraser Psychol. ii. 13 A message..will be sent along a nerve-channel to the brain.

1997 Guardian 27 May ii. 14/1 Sue is one of 24,000 people suffering from neurofibromatosis (NF), a hereditary condition involving the overgrowth of nerve channels which can severely distort the skin.

nerve disease n.

ΚΠ

1865 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 28 411 Of brain and nerve diseases ·199 men and ·168 women [die].

1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. viii. 97 Those who have studied nerve-disease.

1993 New Scientist 25 Sept. 9/1 The ‘biggest surprise’ was evidence that tetanus and oral polio vaccine caused Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nerve disease that causes numbness and weakness in the limbs.

nerve element n.

ΚΠ

1866 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 156 569 This fibrous sheath..effectively conceals the real nerve-elements within it.

1988 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85 948 Several different fragments of prosomatostatin-derived peptides exist in nerve elements in, among other brain regions, the hippocampus.

nerve fibril n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1851 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 141 615 The nerve-fibrils wind around, and apparently in contact with, the vesicles.

1912 J. S. Huxley Individual in Animal Kingdom v. 138 The fine endings of nerve-fibrils.

1982 A. F. Wallace Progress Plastic Surg. xx. 178 The grafts acquired a new blood supply, later neurotonization proceeded from the motor nerve fibrils in adjacent muscle and with it the power of active contraction.

nerve filament n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 594/1 The nerve filaments are simply placed in juxta-position.

1898 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 190 68 The only nerve-filaments existing have been to all appearance those of ventral roots.

1987 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 231 161 Silver-stained terminal degeneration of nerve filaments..can be found.

nerve ganglion n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ganglion

ganglion1698

lenticular ganglion1793

nerve-knot1832

Casserian (or Gasserian) ganglion1842

station1855

nerve ganglion1870

1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life 132 The chain of nerve ganglia.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xlv. 354 There is [in the spider] a dorsal brain, connected by a nerve-ring round the gullet with the ventral centres or nerve-ganglia.

1969 R. F. Chapman Insects ii. 30 There is no real evidence that the wasp attempts to inject its venom into a nerve ganglion.

1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) iii. 245 Important examples of latency..occur in infections with the herpesviruses, herpes simplex (cold sores) and varicella-zoster (chicken pox), which become latent in sensory nerve ganglia.

nerve matter n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun]

neurine1836

nerve substance1839

nerve matter1843

nerve tissue1856

1843 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 133 238 Each process filled with granules of apparently nerve matter.

1878 J. Fiske in N. Amer. Rev. 126 33 The causation of consciousness by nerve-matter.

1958 Systematic Zool. 7 23/2 There is often a concentration of nerve matter in the region of the statocyst.

nerve-motion n.

ΚΠ

1859 R. H. Cooke tr. J. F. C. Hecker Child-pilgrimages in B. G. Babington tr. J. F. C. Hecker Epidemics Middle Ages (ed. 3) App. 347 A nerve-motion radiates from the brain to the sympathetic nerve, and produces here..a sensation which may, or may not, be attended by organic activity or by motion.

1917 P. Coffey Epistemology II. xviii. 126 The internal, sensible appearance is an immediately apprehended nerve motion or organic condition appearing as an external train or hailstone motion.

2012 M. H. Cameron Physical Agents in Rehabilitation ii. vi. 112/1 Adverse neural tension is most commonly caused by restriction of nerve motion.

nerve network n.

ΚΠ

1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 236 In this drawing the general arrangement of the nerve network is represented.

1876 E. Dowden Poems 64 The shapely, agile creature named a man, So artful, with the quick-conceiving brain, Nerve-network, and the hand to grasp and hold.

1900 Jrnl. Nerv. & Mental Dis. 27 476 He [sc. Waldeyer] acknowledges that his ideas of the mode of conduction are based on the view that no anastomosing nerve networks occur, but only a nerve feltwork (neuropilema, His).

1995 J. Shreeve Neandertal Enigma (1996) v. 121 The idea that a single key mutation might lay the foundation for new nerve networks associated with language is not new.

nerve pill n.

ΚΠ

1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 505/1 Carter's little liver pills... Nerve pills.

1992 R. D. Hays & A. L. Stewart in A. L. Stewart & J. E. Ware Measuring Functioning & Well-Being iii. xiv. 243 The MOS asked separately about use of sleeping pills and use of tranquilizers, sedatives, or nerve pills.

nerve plexus n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1877 Proc. Royal Soc. 1876–7 25 479 The most interesting questions with which my previous paper was concerned were, first as to the presence of a rudimentary nerve-plexus.

1947 W. E. Le Gros Clark Anat. Pattern 7 The multiple nerve fibres approach the spot from different directions through the cutaneous nerve plexus, so that stimulation of a sensory spot gives rise to nerve impulses which reach the central nervous system by different routes.

1994 B. Hambly Crossroad vi. 71 Mr. Spock reached out and pressurized the brachial nerve plexus.

nerve shock n.

ΚΠ

1867 J. Hilton Hunterian Oration 36 Even now we use the terms ‘collapse’ and ‘nerve shock’ without attaching to them any exact signification.

1927 Princeton Alumni Weekly 11 Feb. 539/2 Nerve shock reveals itself in curious ways. Some of its symptoms are peevish, irritable, unreasonable.

2011 Y. Ma Biomed. Acupuncture Sports & Trauma Rehabilitation vi. 56/2 The sensation could be nerve shock spreading proximally and distantly, sharp pain, tingling, and sometimes a stinging or burning sensation.

nerve stem n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > main part

truncus1693

nerve stem1856

1856–8 W. Clark tr. J. van der Hoeven Handbk. Zool. I. 11 The nerve-stems and the bundles of which they consist, are surrounded with coats of conjunctive tissue, called neurilema.

1876 J. Bernstein Five Senses 23 In the healed scar the nerve-stems are often irritated.

1987 M. S. Laverack & J. Dando Lect. Notes Invertebr. Zool. (ed. 3) xxi. 106 (table) Nerve stem is intra-epidermal in archiannelids.

nerve structure n.

ΚΠ

1847 New Orleans Med. & Surg. Jrnl. Sept. 192 Neither the sense of taste, nor the sense of smell can be infered from any nerve-structure alone.

1919 H. H. Goddard Psychol. Normal & Subnormal xi. 193 Whether we consider the most primitive nerve structure in the lowest animal in which nerve substance has been found, or the most elaborate brain of the most intellectual man, it is the same.

2014 L. Perotti et al. in F. Alemanno et al. Anesthesia of Upper Limb v. 50/1 Starting the search for the nerve structure at a high amperage..maximizes the sensitivity (ability to elicit a motor response).

nerve substance n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun]

neurine1836

nerve substance1839

nerve matter1843

nerve tissue1856

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 596/1 We have no evidence of any mingling of the true nerve-substance with the sarcous elements.

1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) ii. 13 The primary form [of colliquative necrosis] occurs in the brain, where the conditions are unfavourable for coagulation; a simple softening of the nerve-substance results.

1980 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77 2296/1 It would be surprising if some nerve substance from the regenerating nerve is the cause of faster turnover.

nerve supply n.

ΚΠ

1857 Proc. Royal Soc. 1856–7 8 482 We must find something much wider than any peculiarity in the structure or nerve-supply of hearts.

1872 G. M. Humphry Observ. Myology 7 The arrangement does not interfere with the nerve-supply.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XX. 916/1 A salivary gland degenerates when its nerve-supply is cut off.

1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) xviii. 478 Tabetic arthropathy.—This is an essentially degenerative change which may occur in joints when their sensory nerve supply is destroyed.

1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) xvii. 612 The visceral motor nerve supply to the internal organs of the body is of a peculiar type.

nerve test n.

ΚΠ

1909 Westm. Gaz. 29 May 8/3 (heading) A zoological nerve-test.

1999 Grocer 24 July 52/1 Nerve test:..EQ is a better indicator than IQ of how staff will perform.

nerve tissue n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun]

neurine1836

nerve substance1839

nerve matter1843

nerve tissue1856

1856 Littell's Living Age 3 Oct. 13/2 A cellular tissue would never develope into a nerve tissue unless some new element were introduced.

1859 Philos. Trans. 1858 (Royal Soc.) 148 900 He often saw bundles and fibres, which he believed to be nerve tissue passing towards the hair-tubes.

1967 Brain 90 297 Freund's adjuvant..which enhanced the antigenic activity of the injected nerve tissue.

1995 Independent 10 Feb. 10/2 Cochlear implants work by directly stimulating the nerve tissue of the inner ear.

nerve vesicle n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell > types of

nerve vesicle1839

brain cell1848

stellate cell1870

Purkinje cell1872

neuroblast1878

touch cell1878

Golgi('s) cell1892

memory cell1892

astrocyte1896

astroblast1897

motor neuron1897

cytochrome1898

stichochrome1899

monaxon1900

basket cell1901

relay neuron1903

internuncial neuron1906

sheath cell1906

motoneuron1908

adjustor1909

satellite1912

microglia1924

oligodendroglia1924

sympathicoblast1927

pituicyte1930

oligodendrocyte1932

sympathoblast1934

sympathogonia1934

interneuron1938

Renshaw cell1954

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 647/2 A very interesting form of nerve-vesicle.

1873 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) 32 489 How is it known that there is a ‘nerve vesicle’ answering to every feeling?

1971 Science 24 Dec. 1351/1 The estimated half-life of the sympathetic nerve vesicle is 3 weeks.

nerve wave n.

ΚΠ

1878 N. Amer. Rev. 126 35 Heat-waves, light-waves, nerve-waves, etc.

1897 Living Age 21 Aug. 504 Thousands of nerve-impulses or nerve-waves (neurocymes) flow continually through the fibres and cells of our neurons.

1933 Sci. Monthly Oct. 318/2 We see nerve waves chasing each other along the screen of an oscillograph.

b. Objective.

(a)

nerve-cutting n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operations on nerves

neurotomy1704

nerve-cutting1831

neurectomy1857

sympathectomy1900

gangliectomy1901

ganglionectomy1901

vagotomy1906

rhizotomy1910

phrenicotomy1913

cordotomy1923

ramisection1924

ramisectomy1924

phrenicectomy1926

1831 W. Youatt Horse vii. 110 The operation of neurotomy, or nerve-cutting.

1955 Sci. News Let. 22 Oct. 262/1 The nerve-cutting operation, called sympathectomy, is to dilate arteries that have been stopped.

2002 Nature Neurosci. 5 861 Gross trauma was minimized (by a nerve-crushing rather than nerve-cutting procedure).

nerve-stretching n.

ΚΠ

1878 T. Sinclair Mount 152 Their high art is nerve stretching, a kind of spiritual melodramaticism.

1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. xxvi. 421 Nerve stretching..has been strongly advocated..for the cure of leprous neuralgia.

1986 R. H. Coombs et al. Inside Doctoring i. ii. 134 I figured it was just mild phrenic nerve stretching caused by really expanding my lungs..as I was running hard.

(b)

nerve-destroying adj.

ΚΠ

1825 Duties of Lady's Maid 31-32 Up from your nerve-destroying bed, and from the foul air pent within your close drawn curtains.

1874 J. W. Long Amer. Wild-fowl Shooting 31 They must consequently have greater bone-smashing and nerve-destroying effects.

1992 Time 6 Jan. 38/1 It was always that white-knuckle, fingernail-biting, nerve-destroying kind of situation.

† nerve-dissolving adj. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1842 Ld. Tennyson Vision of Sin in Poems (new ed.) II. 215 The nerve-dissolving melody Flutter'd headlong from the sky.

a1861 D. Grey Poet. Wks. (1874) 39 At the breathless nerve-dissolving noon, When hot the undiminished sun downthrows Direct his beams, they from the field retire.

nerve-irritating adj.

ΚΠ

1878 H. S. Wilson Alpine Ascents 135 I tried experiments to see how long I could bear..a fly crawling down my nose; and I improved..in the valuable power of bearing this nerve-irritating performance.

1988 R. Pochaczevsky in M. E. Kricun Imaging Modalities Spinal Disorders 628/1 Thermography is indicated as a useful screening procedure whenever a patient is suspected of having nerve root compression syndromes or nerve irritating disorders.

2005 G. D. Kramer & S. A. Darby Basic & Clin. Anat. of Spine, Spinal Cord, & ANS (ed. 2) ii. 48/2 Leakage of nerve irritating (histamine-like) molecules from disrupted IVDs also has been found to be a cause of irritation to the exiting dorsal root.

nerve-jangling adj.

ΚΠ

1899 Quartier Latin Feb. 336 There was something repressed..in her appearance..; something that promised immunity from nerve-jangling outbreaks and womanish tears.

1959 Life 20 July 1 (advt.) Take Bufferin, the modern pain remedy. It contains no nerve-jangling, sleep-disturbing caffeine.

2014 S. Gibbs Poached xv. 225 He let out a nerve-jangling scream that made all of us leap out of our seats.

nerve-lacerating adj.

ΚΠ

1774 Crit. Rev. June 465 He is drove by the iron heart devoid of feeling, and goaded by the nerve-lacerating lash of cruelty.

1843 J. Abbott Narr. Journ. Heraut to Khiva, Moscow & St. Petersburgh II. xxxvi. 108 Dancing..has degenerated into a mere exposition of the chaos, produced by the awkward and unmeaning ambles of heavy-heeled bipeds, convulsed by nerve-lacerating sounds.

1911 W. Owen Let. 17 Sept. (1967) 83 The nerve-lacerating speech of the pompous vigilator.

2017 C. Parry Other Animals 21st Cent. Fiction iii. 102 The exquisitely bone-sawing, nerve-lacerating violins of Hiroshima may be apprehended in the body rather than just heard in the ears and interpreted in the mind.

nerve-racking adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious > causing acute anxiety

nerve-racking1812

nerve-wracking1909

1812 P. B. Shelley Let. 27 Dec. (1964) I. 347 My removal from your nerve racking & spirit quelling metropolis.

1895 Scribner's Mag. Feb. 174 The minutes slowly passed, then a spark winked like a firefly half-way up the mesa..then the nerve-racking silence again.

1989 T. Kidder Among Schoolchildren vi. ii. 215 The situation was manageable, if a little nerve-racking.

2010 N. Southorn Student's Compan. Physiotherapy xiv. 158 Awaiting the results in your final year is probably the most nerve-racking thing you have done in a while.

nerve-relaxing adj.

ΚΠ

1763 T. Wharton Coll. Poems 261 Each morn regale on nerve-relaxing tea.

1819 R. Sears Poem Mineral Waters Ballston & Saratoga 14 Of nerve relaxing heat these Springs supply A kind restorative, not known elsewhere.

1929 Travel Nov. 48 (advt.) Invest in the sun..and draw nerve-relaxing, joy-inspiring dividends for all the rest of the year.

2001 M. Stengler Nat. Physician's Healing Therapies 100/1 The nerve-relaxing properties of chamomile make it a popular herb for anxiety.

nerve-rending adj.

ΚΠ

1835 F. W. Thomas Clinton Bradshaw I. x. 132 Now comes on a second trial, as nerve-rending as the first.

1897 Month Oct. 374 The next nerve-rending sound which might occur.

1955 A. MacLean H.M.S. Ulysses xvii. 303 Nothing quite so nerve-rending..as the sight and sound as those Junkers..in the last seconds before they pulled out of their dive.

nerve-shaking adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > [adjective] > unnerving or upsetting

unnerving1722

nerve-shaking1820

unstringing1824

1820 J. Keats Let. ?Feb. (1958) II. 262 The medicine I am at present taking..is of a nerve-shaking nature.

1986 19th-cent. Lit. 41 370 The discussion of that novel concentrates on two scenes..that Howells..said he found nerve-shaking to read.

nerve-shattering adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > state of being shocked > [adjective] > shocking

execrable1490

perculsive1609

shocking1703

nerve-shattering1840

eyewatering1950

traumatic1962

1840 T. De Quincey Tait's Edinb. Mag. June 350/1 Resting from his mighty labours and nerve-shattering perils.

1990 ‘M. Caine’ Coward's Chron. (BNC) 79 The day was spent in frantic dashes, nerve-shattering band calls, fraught costume fittings and infuriating sound checks.

† nerve-stretching adj. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1652 E. Benlowes Theophila i. xcvi. 13 Nerve-stretching Muse, thy Bow's new strung.

nerve-testing adj.

ΚΠ

1877 Harper's Mag. May 824 A bear hunt of this kind is full of adventure... you are sure..of a sinew-testing chase and a nerve-testing struggle at the end.

1973 D. Francis Slay-ride vii. 80 A nerve-testing isolation.

nerve-trying adj.

ΚΠ

1850 R. S. Surtees Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour xxxii, in New Monthly Mag. Jan. 109 The more nerve-trying noise of a floundering stumble over a heap of stones.

1914 T. A. Baggs Back fr. Front 79 There were other nerve-trying scenes before as in Rouen.

1934 G. A. Reichard Spider Woman (1997) xxiv. 203 The satisfaction lies..in having carried out a complicated, fatiguing, nerve-trying ritual to its prescribed end.

nerve-wracking adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious > causing acute anxiety

nerve-racking1812

nerve-wracking1909

1909 Daily Chron. 9 Feb. 5/1 Despite his nerve-wracking experience, he had the courage to endeavour to return to search for him.

1982 Sydney Morning Herald 10 July 12/3 Going down an aisle in front of about thirteen hundred people, including photographers and TV cameras, which would be a very nerve-wracking experience.

(c)

nerve-wrackingly adv.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adverb] > causing acute anxiety

nerve-wrackingly1963

1963 A. Ross Australia 63 i. 42 The handsome and the hazardous were jostling nerve-wrackingly together.

c. Instrumental.

nerve-drawn adj.

ΚΠ

1937 V. Woolf Years 388 A queer face; knit up; nerve-drawn; fixed.

nerve-racked adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious

nerve-racked1827

nerve-wracked1911

1827 R. M. Beverley Jubal 157 Do not all thy kind Dream such vagaries when the nerve-racked brain Lifts them on Fancy's wings to heaven, or down To hell?

1893 Overland Monthly Dec. 604 Heart-sick, brain-tired, nerve-racked soul.

1918 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 29 59 That an exhausted and nerve-racked sufferer..should think of those around as silently criticising his irrational cowardice.

2017 T. Peake North Facing i. 3 It was only at the end of a long, nerve-racked week..that Bentley major..had put a stop to Paul's covert nightly sobbing by naming du Toit as the culprit.

nerve-ridden adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > [adjective] > nervous or easily agitated

agitable1603

wincing1603

nervous1740

nervo-sanguineous1807

alarmable1813

intense1817

tense1821

finely-strung1841

flutterable1891

nerve-ridden1892

shockable1893

the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [adjective] > nervous > in a state of nervous excitement

high-strung1653

tense1821

jumpy1879

nerve-ridden1892

geeked1989

1892 E. Lawless Grania II. 7 He..seemed to be even more nerve-ridden than usual.

1997 J. Noon Nymphomation (1998) 160 Old Joe Crocus making his rounds, pent-up, nerve-ridden, sharp-edged with need.

nerve-shaken adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [adjective] > nervous

nervous1740

nerve-shaken1818

twitchety1859

nervy1873

trepidatious1904

all of a wonk1918

spooky1926

squirrelly1928

jittery1931

spooked1937

hinky1956

psyched1961

nattery1966

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian i, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 9 Men whose spirits..are nerve-shaken, timorous, and unenterprising.

1898 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 15 Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to ding out that going to the mountains is going home.

1936 R. C. K. Ensor England, 1870–1914 i. 19 The majority at Westminster remained, though nerve-shaken by adverse by-elections.

nerve-shattered adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > weariness or exhaustion > [adjective] > specific mentally or emotionally

used up1835

brain-fagged1869

overthoughted1877

nerve-shattered1888

1888 Cent. Mag. Aug. 635 It becomes the Elysium of the pill-taker, the Paradise of the headache fancier, the Nirvana of the nerve-shattered dyspeptic and rheumatic.

1975 C. Dennis Somebody just grabbed Annie! 195 Close-up of a nerve-shattered Ilima.

nerve-worn adj.

ΚΠ

1792 J. Byng Diary May in Torrington Diaries (1936) III. 5 I will not accord to the unnatural hours. Nerve-worn, and with reason, I must..take the field.

1858 H. T. Cheever Pulpit & Pew xx. 303 And through the goodness of God I have come off safe and sound, though nerve-worn and weary.

1922 D. H. Lawrence Let. 15 May (1932) 547 In many ways it [sc. Australia] is older: more nerve-worn.

2005 D. K. Goodwin Team of Rivals xiv. 378 To the nerve-worn residents of Washington, McClellan seemed ‘the man on horseback’, just the leader to mold the disorganized Union troops into a disciplined army.

nerve-wracked adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious

nerve-racked1827

nerve-wracked1911

1911 E. Pound Canzoni 46 How our modernity, Nerve-wracked and broken, turns Against time's way.

1975 J. Rosenthal Evacuees in Bar Mitzvah Boy & Other Television Plays (1987) 140 Danny, Neville, Sarah and Grandma are now all sitting with saucepans on their heads—and all a little nerve-wracked.

C2.

nerve agent n. a substance that alters the functioning of the nervous system, typically inhibiting neurotransmission; esp. one used as a weapon, a nerve gas.

ΚΠ

1960 ABC Warfare Defense (U.S. Bureau Naval Personnel) iii. 38/2 The nerve agents represent the most recent development in offensive chemical warfare.

1980 Sci. Amer. Apr. 35/3 Modern lethal chemical weapons are based on organophosphorus compounds known as nerve gases or nerve agents.

1993 Pop. Sci. June 29/1 The skin and feathers of the hooded pitohui and two related species contain a nasty nerve agent called homobatrachotoxin.

1995 Guardian 21 Mar. 3/2 Sarin, like the other nerve agents tabun, soman and VX, kills by blocking the action of an enzyme which removes acetylcholine, the chemical that transmits signals down the nervous system.

nerve block n. Medicine injection of a local anaesthetic into or around a nerve, to produce regional anaesthesia; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > anaesthetization, pain-killing, etc. > [noun] > anaesthetization > by blocking nerves

nerve-blocking1906

nerve block1912

field block1922

spinal block1928

saddle block1946

1912 Jrnl. Laryngol., Rhinol., & Otol. 27 525 Certain anæsthetic agents, such as cocaine, novocaine, and eucaine, when brought into contact with nerve-fibres, penetrate to their axis-cylinders and induce what is known as physiological section of the nerve, or nerve-block.

1941 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. 32 69 The simplest explanation of the blindness [due to pressure] is that the stoppage of circulation produces retinal anoxia and nerve-block, probably in the ganglionic layers.

1970 W. H. Parker Health & Dis. Farm Animals viii. 94 Dehorning is the removal of horns already in existence on older cattle, essentially a veterinarian's job involving nerve block anaesthesia.

1992 New Scientist 21 Mar. 31/2 Local nerve blocks of this kind (such as arm blocks and epidurals) which can render parts of the body numb, are growing in popularity among anaesthetists.

nerve-blocking adj. Medicine that creates a nerve block; that prevents neurotransmission.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > anaesthetization, pain-killing, etc. > [noun] > anaesthetization > by blocking nerves

nerve-blocking1906

nerve block1912

field block1922

spinal block1928

saddle block1946

1906 J. M. Patton Anaesthesia & Anaesthetics (ed. 2) xvii. 208 Bodine sees no reason why all major surgery should not be done by Corning's nerve-blocking method of injecting directly into the nerves supplying the limb.

1972 Jrnl. Pharmacol. & Exper. Therapeutics 182 442/1 The nerve blocking action of the insecticide, allethrin, is unique in the sense that it is highly dependent on temperature.

nerve canal n. Anatomy a bony canal, esp. of the skull, containing a nerve.

ΚΠ

1870 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 160 555 The tuberosity..is..anterior to the posterior outlet of the intervertebral nerve-canal.

1975 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. 48 170 Erosion was so severe as to involve the facial nerve canal in one [case].

1995 J. Shreeve Neandertal Enigma (1996) v. 126 One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection.

nerve cavity n. rare the pulp cavity of a tooth; (also) a bony cavity containing a nerve.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > substance or parts of teeth > [noun] > pulp-cavity

pulp cavity1840

nerve cavity1845

pulp canal1845

root canal1864

pulp chamber1872

1845 C. A. Harris Princ. & Pract. Dental Surg. (ed. 2) vi. i. 538 Their [sc. the teeth of cattle] nerve cavities are so large, that by the time they are reduced to the size of the incisors, they become exposed.

1976 Pesticides Abstr. (U.S. Environm. Protection Agency) Sept. 642/1 When examined 48 hr after administration no necrosis of nerve cells was seen along the nerve cavity.

2006 Drum (Johannesburg) 16 Nov. 45/2 Root canal treatment..involves the removal of the contents of the nerve cavity of the tooth, which houses the blood vessels that transport nutrients to the tooth.

nerve cell n. Anatomy †(a) the cell body of a neuron (obsolete); (b) a neuron.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell

nerve cell1840

neurocyte1890

neuron1891

1840 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 130 608 (note) The primary nerve-cells have not been with certainty observed.

1858 G. H. Lewes Let. 19 July in G. S. Haight George Eliot Lett. (1954) II. 469 It was so very amusing to find myself thinking of ‘nerve cells’ amid the grand mountains, and of physiological processes on the shores of a lake.

1893 Brain 16 135 It will therefore be understood that by the term ‘nerve-cell’ I shall denote not only, as has hitherto for the most part been the case, the body of the cell as the part immediately enclosing the nucleus, but all the several processes of the cell.

1943 O. S. Strong & A. Elwyn Human Neuroanat. iii. 28/1 The significance of the Nissl stain..lies in the fact that..each type of nerve cell always presents the same appearance.

1984 J. F. Lamb et al. Essent. Physiol. (ed. 2) ix. 229 Nerve cells or neurones are specialised for receiving and transmitting electrical signals.

nerve centre n. (a) Anatomy and Zoology, a ganglion (group of nerve cell bodies); (also) a region of the nervous system controlling a specific function; (b) (figurative) a centre of information flow or control.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell > groups of

touch body1853

touch corpuscle1856

nerve centre1870

paraganglion1907

the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > [noun] > grey matter > nerve centre

ganglion1805

centre1809

nerve bulb1862

nerve centre1870

the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > position of being in the midst > point which forms centre for its surroundings > centre of activity, operations, etc.

metropolis1599

metropolitana1620

focus1796

foyer1799

nerve-knot1832

hub1858

nerve centre1870

storm centre1894

nexus1971

1870 H. Spencer Princ. Psychol. (ed. 2) I. i. ii. 27 A mass of grey matter with imbedded vesicles—a nerve-centre or ganglion.

1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. ci. 418 Wall Street is the great nerve centre of all American business.

1931 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 17 239 Do these substances so introduced act peripherally..or do they act directly upon subependymal and diencephalic nerve centers?

2001 Smarthouse Feb. 24/1 The communications cabinet on the wall of the cupboard on the first floor landing is the nerve centre for 3,000 metres of cable.

nerve collar n. Zoology = nerve ring n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > nerves forming ring

mouth ring1839

nerve ring1849

nerve collar1874

1874 Amer. Naturalist 8 45 The nervous system of the worms consists of a nerve collar from which start two parallel chains of ganglia.

1946 Q. Rev. Biol. 21 349 In the annelids, in common with the other jointed invertebrates, the oesophagus is surrounded by a complete nerve ring or nerve collar.

nerve cord n. Anatomy and Zoology a nerve; (later) spec. a nerve forming the main axis, or a principal branch of the main axis, of a nervous system, esp. in invertebrates.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1864 Continental Monthly Nov. 531/2 Electricity..is the source of light and heat, as well as the connecting link, through our electric nerve cords.

1871 Proc. Royal Soc. 1870–71 19 313 The languor and weakness are due..to suboxidation of the blood, which impairs the activity not only of the muscles, but of the nerve-centres which originate, and nerve-cords which transmit motor and sensory impressions.

1914 E. W. MacBride Text-bk. Embryol. I. viii. 254 The epineural sinus..derives its name from the circumstance that it lies above the rudiments of the ganglia of the ventral nerve cord.

1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) i. 3 Invertebrate nerve cords are generally solid masses of nerve fibers (and supporting cells) running between equally solid clusters of nerve cells.

nerve current n. Physiology a nerve impulse.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve impulse

vibration1728

nerve current1859

nerve impulse1870

summation1872

message1884

wave of stimulation1885

pattern1930

1859 Proc. Royal Soc. 1857–9 9 694 The nerve-current agrees with the muscular current in exhibiting a positive loss of force during muscular contraction.

1879 Mind 4 317 All feeling whatever..seems to depend for its physical condition not on simple discharge of nerve-currents, but on their discharge under arrest, impediment or resistance.

1951 J. M. Fraser Psychol. ii. 13 These cells..send a nerve-current along the olfactory nerve to the brain.

1995 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 309 76 The peroneal nerve current perception threshold was higher..in patients in the foot ulcer group.

nerve deafness n. sensorineural deafness.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of ear > disordered hearing > [noun] > deafness > types of deafness

throat deafness1840

nerve deafness1886

surdism1898

1886 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. I. 299 Deafness, having the characters of nerve-deafness, is met with in some cases.

1968 Brain 91 242 Lathyrism is usually a purely pyramidal disorder without optic atrophy or nerve deafness.

1992 Independent 8 Dec. 12/5 I had suffered sudden hearing loss, technically known as nerve deafness.

nerve doctor n. chiefly euphemistic a psychiatrist or psychoanalyst.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > healer > specialist > [noun] > nerves

neurotomist1726

nerve specialist1889

nerve doctor1892

neuroradiologist1955

1892 W. James Coll. Ess. & Rev. (1920) 327 The men who care little or nothing for ultimate rationality, the biologists, nerve-doctors, and psychical researchers.

1984 Times 19 May 10/5 She was described as suffering with her nerves and had..been referred to a ‘Nerve doctor’..a euphemism for a psychiatrist.

nerve end n. = nerve ending n.; also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending

nerve end1865

nerve ending1868

synaptosome1964

1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 247 In no case are there nerve-ends, but always plexuses or networks.

1953 R. Lehmann Echoing Grove 159 In the silence Dinah's nerve ends crept, contracted, listening for the guns, the sirens.

1992 Playboy Oct. 100/1 He was revved up.., nerve ends waving in the psychic breeze, eyeballs scanning the room in a ‘What have we got to work with here?’ mode.

nerve ending n. Anatomy any of the specialized terminal portions of a dendrite or axon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending

nerve end1865

nerve ending1868

synaptosome1964

1868 N. Porter Human Intellect 149 This sensorium is known to the soul not as a collection of nerve-endings or nerve-expansions.

1937 L. V. Heilbrunn Outl. Gen. Physiol. xl. 506 In man and mammals, in addition to ordinary free nerve endings, special types of tangoreceptors are found in the skin and in the viscera.

1993 Independent 11 Jan. 13/7 Botulinum A toxin..works by stopping nerve endings releasing acetylcholine, a chemical that communicates with other nerve endings.

nerve excitation n. Physiology the process by which nerve impulses are initiated or propagated.

ΚΠ

1855 Q. Rev. 96 110 There is already a mind to attend to the nerve excitation.

1968 I. Tasaki (title) Nerve excitation: a macromolecular approach.

1992 Q. Rev. Biol. 67 523/1 The third chapter delves into membranes along with their structures and applications..ranging from passive and active transport to nerve excitation.

nerve fibre n. Anatomy a process of a neuron, esp. an axon with its neurilemma.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre

nerve1839

nerve fibre1839

nerve tube1839

nerve tubule1849

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 592/1 Remak and others describe three distinct parts in the nerve fibre.

1872 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (ed. 6) 212 Every fraction of a tone..is represented by its separate nerve-fibre.

1940 R. S. Woodworth Psychol. (ed. 12) xii. 419 These nerves are composed of extra-slender nerve fibres, which grow out from cells in the brain stem and cord.

1992 N.Y. Times 4 Aug. c8/2 That generous pinch of cayenne that gave the marinade its special kick is irritating sensory nerve fibers in the tongue and nose.

nerve food n. a preparation supposed to aid or improve the functioning of nerves.

ΚΠ

1881 Science 8 Jan. (front matter) (advt.) Brain and nerve food. Composed of the vital or nerve-giving principles of the ox-brain and wheat-germ.

1900 Harper's Weekly 24 Mar. 282 (advt.) Locomotor Ataxia conquered at last. Specialists amazed at recovery of patients thought incurable by Dr.Chase's Blood and Nerve Food.

1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise i. 16 Do they think people buy nerve-food for the sake of the bottle?

nerve force n. now historical power ascribed to nerves; neuroelectric activity; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun]

innervation1832

nervism1837

nerve force1850

nervation1851

neurility1860

neuricity1866

neurism1873

tonus1902

gamone1942

1850 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 140 740 The production of nerve-force in the central organs is dependent upon the development of the peculiar cells constituting the ganglionic or vesicular substance.

1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith ii. 83 When the nerve force ceases to act, all manifestation of the presence of mind ceases.

1914 Practitioner June 831 The chemical generation of nerve force (neuro-electricity) in the human body.

1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise viii. 131 He scribbled desperately, trying to save a letter here and there. ‘Nervous force’? ‘Nerve-force’? ‘Nerve-power’?

1994 Isis 85 215 The theories behind chiropractic and neurasthenia shared the assumption that disturbances of nerve force were critical determinants of disease.

nerve gas n. a toxic substance in the form of a vapour or gas that disables or kills by interfering with neurotransmission.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > poison > [noun] > poisonous gas > nerve gas

nerve gas1940

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > gas

poison gas1816

gas1897

mustard gas1917

tear-gas1917

yperite1917

mustard1918

phosgene1918

riot gas1930

war gas1934

nausea gas1936

nerve gas1940

tear-smoke1946

Sarin1951

Soman1951

pepper gas1968

stun gas1968

pepper spray1986

1940 Sun (Baltimore) 13 May 1/5 A specialist in nervous diseases and a chemist..said tonight that a ‘nerve gas’, reported possibly used by the Nazis..was ‘entirely within the range of possibility’.

1968 Observer 16 June 9/1 The nerve gases are liquids which are most lethal when inhaled as fine droplets, but can also be absorbed through the skin.

2001 Time 8 Oct. 43/1 Chemical weapons such as the nerve gases sarin and VX are relatively easy to acquire and stockpile.

nerve glue n. Anatomy rare neuroglia.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > types of

touch cell1878

nerve glue1879

nerve tunic1881

neuroepithelium1889

1879 H. Calderwood Relations Mind & Brain ii. 25 The cells are packed together in a glutinous substance, which Virchow has named nerve-glue.

1983 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 301 57 The discovery of the neuroglia (‘nerve glue’) dates back to the middle of the 19th century.

nerve growth factor n. (a) a polypeptide consisting in its active form of two identical chains of 120 amino acids, which is produced normally by neurons, Schwann cells, glial cells, and various types of epithelial and connective tissue cells, and promotes the growth of (esp. sensory and sympathetic) neurons and neurites, and also has certain modulatory effects on the immune system (abbreviated NGF); (b) any of various other polypeptides that promote the growth and maintenance of neurons.

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1954 S. Cohen et al. in Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 40 1014 (title) A nerve growth-stimulating factor isolated from sarcomas 37 and 180.]

1958 Science 12 Sept. 602/2 A study of the formation of nerve fibers by tissue-cultured cells under the influence of the nerve-growth factor.

1994 N.Y. Times 8 Mar. c3/5 The hormone [sc. estrogen] could exert its influence by making neurons more sensitive to the stimulus of nerve growth factor.

1997 New Scientist 31 May 18/1 They then used antibodies to selectively switch off two nerve growth factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotropin-3 (NT-3), in the tissue.

nerve impulse n. Physiology an electrical signal transmitted along a nerve fibre; an action potential.

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the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve impulse

vibration1728

nerve current1859

nerve impulse1870

summation1872

message1884

wave of stimulation1885

pattern1930

1870 Littell's Living Age 3 Dec. 636/2 A sinister and gruesome suggestion that the movements within ourselves which we think spiritual..are mere nerve-impulses produced by the fantastic motion of certain granules.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 512 A feature of the concatenations of neurons more probably explicative of modification and delay of nerve impulses is the synapse.

1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. v. 123 (caption) Diagram to illustrate the course of nerve-impulses concerned in a spinal reflex.

1997 R. Porter Greatest Benefit to Mankind xi. 338 Curare worked only where a nerve met the muscle on which it acted, causing paralysis by preventing the nerve impulse from making the muscle contract.

nerve instrument n. Dentistry any of various instruments used to treat the pulp cavity.

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the world > health and disease > healing > dentistry > [noun] > other dental equipment

explorer1844

plate1845

rose head1847

plugging forceps1861

plugger1862

rubber dam1865

finger mirror1867

nerve instrument1867

hoe1875

saliva extractor1877

thimble1877

finger-tray1878

scaler1881

matrix1883

saliva ejectora1884

sickle scaler1930

1867 Catal. Dental Materials, Furnit., Instruments for Sale by S. S. White 1 Jan. 72 (advt.) Dr. Corydon Palmer's Nerve Instruments... The set consists of 21 Instruments.

1893 Official Catal. Brit. Sect. Chicago Exhib. 372 Instruments of all kinds used by dentists, including extracting forceps, sealers, enamel cutters, nerve instruments, burring engines, [etc.].

1932 Pilling Instrum. & Equipm. Surgeons & Hospitals 225 Brain and Nerve Instruments.

nerve-knot n. Anatomy (now rare) a ganglion; also figurative.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ganglion

ganglion1698

lenticular ganglion1793

nerve-knot1832

Casserian (or Gasserian) ganglion1842

station1855

nerve ganglion1870

the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > position of being in the midst > point which forms centre for its surroundings > centre of activity, operations, etc.

metropolis1599

metropolitana1620

focus1796

foyer1799

nerve-knot1832

hub1858

nerve centre1870

storm centre1894

nexus1971

1832 J. Rennie Alphabet of Insects 76 The fibres or threads of the nerves which join such a nerve-knot or ganglion, become twisted within it,..into a bundle.

1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge I. ix. 113 Casterbridge was..but the pole, focus, or nerve-knot of the surrounding country life.

1954 O. H. K. Spate & B. H. Farmer India & Pakistan iv. xxvi. 774 Kandy is the nerve-knot of its basin, and had a population of 51,266 in 1946.

1995 J. Peel Maniac 173 She started to get out of bed, but pain stabbed through her right leg. That evil nerve knot!

nerve needle n. Dentistry an instrument for cleaning out the pulp cavity of a tooth.

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1861 Dental Reg. West 15 363 After with fine French nerve needles, with delicately barbed points, remove the entire nerve.

1986 Explanatory Notes Harmonized Commodity Descr. & Coding Syst. IV. xviii. xc. 1490 Instruments for nerve treatment (nerve broaches and other extractors, nerve hooks, nerve needles, nerve seekers, etc.).

2016 A. M. Dryden & B. C. H. Tsui in B. C. H. Tsui & S. Suresh Pediatric Atlas Ultrasound- & Nerve Stimulation-guided Regional Anesthesia viii. 120/2 Nerve stimulation: use accurate nerve stimulators and insulated nerve needles.

nerve net n. Zoology a diffuse network of neurons found in cnidarians, flatworms, and certain other invertebrates, which transmits impulses in all directions from a point of stimulation.

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the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > network of nerves

nerve net1904

1904 C. S. Sherrington in Nature 8 Sept. 460/1 We can distinguish two main types of [nervous] system according to the mode of union of the conductors.—(i.) the nerve-net system, such as met in Medusa and in the walls of viscera, and (ii.) the synaptic system, such as the cerebro-spinal system of Arthropods and Vertebrates.

1942 O. Larsell Anat. Nerv. Syst. i. 3 The older view of the nerve net as a conduction apparatus for diffusing nerve impulses by protoplasmic continuity of the nerve cell processes has largely yielded to the conception of a synaptic system, even in coelenterates.

1987 M. S. Laverack & J. Dando Lect. Notes Invertebr. Zool. (ed. 3) xxvii. 159/1 The epidermal nerve net conducts equally and decrementally in all directions.

2002 R. Chase Behavior & Neural Control Gastropod Molluscs iv. 59 The term ‘nerve net’..denotes a specific type of plexus, namely, a system of neurons dispersed in a plane and connected by fusion or synapses.

† nerve oil n. Obsolete an oil applied topically as a treatment for strained tendons (cf. nerval n.).

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the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > preparations for treating specific parts > [noun] > for the sinews

nerval?c1450

nerve oil1592

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines of specific form > ointments, etc. > [noun] > ointment > specific

eye salveeOE

diachylon1313

populeona1398

euphorbinec1400

marciaton?a1425

nerval?c1450

basilicon?1541

pilgrim-salvec1580

nerve oil1592

apostles' ointment1721

blue ointment1721

yellow basilicon1746

Kalydor1824

blue butter1838

Holloway's ointment1838

lip balm1853

chapstick1891

wool-wax1911

barrier cream1950

1592 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 139 iij li. nervoyll xviijd.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 355 Annoint his body all ouer with Narueoile.

1665 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 139 Nirve oyle for the sorrold horse iijd.

1796 Sporting Mag. Nov. 80/2 An ointment for a shoulder sprain. Take nerve oil and hog's lard, of each a quarter of a pound.

1846 A. J. Cooley Cycl. Pract. Receipts 445/1 Oil, Neat's foot. (Nerve oil. Trotter's do. Ol. nervinum. Auxungia pedum tauri.) From neat's feet and tripe by boiling; does not harden by age.

† nerve-paste n. Dentistry Obsolete rare a paste containing arsenic, used to kill the nerve of a tooth.

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1890 Cent. Dict. Nerve-paste, a mixture of arsenic (generally with creosote or morphine) used to kill the nerve of a tooth.

nerve path n. Physiology = nerve pathway n.

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the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve-path

nerve path1867

brain path1877

nerve route1879

path1881

pathway1885

1867 Brit. & Foreign Medico-chirurg. Rev. 40 245 It does show that centripetally coursing fibres in different nerve-paths may unite under appropriate conditions, and that sensations can thus be conducted to the cerebrum.

1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. vi. 65 The secretions of ovaries pick out and bring into action the nerve-paths appropriate to females, those of testes the paths appropriate to males.

1990 Jrnl. Hand Surg. 15A 352 A series of 58 wrist dissections revealed a 22.4% incidence of anomalous muscles and a 1.7% incidence of anomalous nerve paths.

2011 J. Greening & A. Dilley in C. F. de las Peñas et al. Neck & Arm Pain Syndromes xxxvii. 478/1 When the nerve path is shortened, peripheral nerves will become slack and are said to be unloaded.

nerve pathway n. Physiology the route taken by a nerve impulse through the nervous system.

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1878 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 504 The external layer of the body..became infolded, and the nerve-pathways were brought into relationship with the nerve-centres thus formed.

1909 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 81 157 It [sc. the atrio-ventricular bundle] might become conspicuously a nerve pathway of very intricate structure.

1972 D. R. Kenshalo in J. W. Kling & L. A. Riggs Woodworth & Schlosberg's Exper. Psychol. (ed. 3) v. 119/1 If we insist that each primary sensory modality has its own nerve pathway, the tactile, pain, and temperature senses fail to qualify as different modalities because their nerves are intermingled.

1995 New Scientist 28 Oct. 46/2 Totally gone were the nerve pathways for proprioception, the ‘sixth’ sense that gives us a feeling for where we are, the orientation of our body in Euclidean space.

nerve patient n. now historical a patient suffering from a psychological or psychiatric disorder.

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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of nervous system > [noun] > person

nerve patient1900

1900 Speaker 20 Jan. 420/1 He will tell you in more or less sweeping fashion that the average nerve-patient wants beating soundly.

1999 W. Graham Henry James's Thwarted Love iv. 162 Dr. Beard..pleads with his colleagues to overcome their antipathy to nerve patients, to recognize that mental and psychosomatic illnesses are every bit as painful as other maladies.

nerve physiologist n. rare = neurophysiologist n.

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the world > life > the body > study of body > study of nervous system > [noun] > person

neurotomist1726

neurologist1832

nerve physiologist1890

neuroanatomist1919

neurophysiologist1936

neuroradiologist1955

neuroendocrinologist1957

neuroscientist1964

1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. i. 5 In still another way the psychologist is forced to be something of a nerve-physiologist.

1964 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 52 1144 Nerve physiologists holding the belief that the external connective tissue sheath has a high electrical resistance might be inclined to argue.

2004 D. G. Mook Classic Exper. in Psychol. iii. 39 He [sc. von Helmholtz] towered over the middle-to-late nineteenth century as a physicist, physician, optician, acoustician, mathematician, nerve physiologist, muscle physiologist, metabolic physiologist, philosopher, and lecturer on popular science.

nerve physiology n. = neurophysiology n.

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the world > life > the body > study of body > study of nervous system > [noun]

neurology1670

neurography1738

nerve physiology1845

neurophysiology1859

neuromyologya1890

neuroanatomy1900

neuroendocrinology1922

neuroscience1944

neurochemistry1945

synaptology1962

psychoneuroendocrinology1970

connectomics2007

1845 Brit. & Foreign Med. Rev. 19 575 The publication of the collected observations of MM. Matteucci and Savi is an important fact in this year's history of the progress of nerve physiology.

1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. ii. 23 The conception of all action as conforming to this type [sc. reflex] is the fundamental conception of modern nerve-physiology.

1927 J. S. Huxley Relig. without Revelation iv. 135 How, precisely, these experiences are generated, psychology and nerve-physiology must learn and tell us.

1989 Thorax 44 292 Studies of nerve physiology showed abnormalities in the lower limbs of all four patients.

2004 L. Weiss et al. Easy EMG iv. 17 When doing nerve conduction studies it is important to understand nerve physiology.

nerve plate n. †(a) the nerve cord of the collar of a hemichordate (obsolete rare); (b) Embryology = neural plate n. (b) at neural adj. and n. Compounds.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending > parts or types of

Pacinian corpuscle1854

Meissner corpuscle1884

nerve plate1888

Vater's corpuscle1951

1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 187/1 Strands connecting dorsal nerve-plate with outer wall of collar.

1934 Discovery Aug. 220/1 The nerve plate (the rudiment of the brain and spinal cord).

1981 A. G. Brown Organization of Spinal Cord iv. 48 (caption) B shows the structure of a tactile cell and its nerve plate as seen in electron microscope preparations.

nerve poison n. a naturally occurring or synthetic substance that disrupts the functioning of the nervous system; a neurotoxin, nerve agent, or nerve gas.

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1848 C. H. Meeker tr. ‘J. H. Rausse’ Misc. Graefenberg Water-cure 191 These pernicious substances [sc. tobacco and alcohol] are, indeed, much less injurious than the most nerve-poisoning medicaments, but still they are, by all means, injurious to the stomach and nerves.]

1856 R. Thompson Treat. Fever i. 57 The remote cause of these diseases, whether animacule or gaseous, is of the nature of a narcotic stimulant or nerve poison.

1868 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 295/2 Nerve poisons may very well be represented by the most famous of them all,—the well-known woorara, or wourali, of South America.

1941 Sci. Monthly Oct. 376/1 As a poison, a gas is usually classified as either one of five: Lachrimator or tear gas, sternutator or sneeze-producer, Lung injurant, vesicant or blister-producer, and nerve poison.

2004 J. Stenersen Chem. Pesticides vi. 115 This extremely potent nerve poison also blocks the voltage-activated sodium channels.

nerve ring n. Zoology a ring of nerves and ganglia encircling the pharynx in various invertebrates.

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the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > nerves forming ring

mouth ring1839

nerve ring1849

nerve collar1874

1849 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 139 335 Close round this opening are placed the nerve-loops of the neck, and a nerve-ring appears to encircle it as a ganglion.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiv. 354 The spider's nervous system is of the type found in other Arthropods. That is to say, there is a dorsal brain, connected by a nerve-ring round the gullet with the ventral centres or nerve-ganglia.

1995 C. Nielsen Animal Evol. viii. 55 The nervous system is intraepithelial, forming nerve nets which may be concentrated in nerve rings in both polyps and medusae and in ganglia in scyphomedusae.

nerve route n. [after German Nervenbahn (1888)] Physiology = nerve pathway n.

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the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve-path

nerve path1867

brain path1877

nerve route1879

path1881

pathway1885

1879 Littell's Living Age 13 Dec. 6532 Such a result would obviously be a very natural consequence if different nerve-routes were employed for the transmission of the vibrations of different colours.

1890 A. Hill tr. H. Obersteiner Anat. Central Nerv. Organs 162 One must be very careful in assigning an object to nerve-routes, especially when they exceed an internode..in length.

1933 A. N. Whitehead Adventures of Ideas xiv. 276 Also incipient sense-percepta may be forming themselves in the nerve-routes.

1998 M. B. A. Oldstone Viruses, Plagues, & Hist. ii. vii. 105 Once the virus multiplies sufficiently in lymphoid tissues of the gut and pharynx, it travels into the blood and probably through nerve routes to reach the central nervous system.

nerve sheath n. Anatomy (a) a perineurium or endoneurium; (b) a neurilemma.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > outer sheath

neurilema1813

nerve sheath1839

neurolemma1852

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 593/1 Bound together by fibrous membrane, the nerve-sheath.

1935 Amer. Jrnl. Cancer 24 751 Neurinoma is the term most widely used,..but there is the insuperable objection to it that it means ‘nerve fiber tumor’. Whatever else..all authorities are convinced that this is not a nerve fiber tumor but a nerve sheath tumor.

1984 J. R. Tighe & D. R. Davies Pathol. (ed. 4) iii. 17 Axon regrowth..requires a viable cell body and a nerve sheath.

1990 P. Armstrong in P. Armstrong et al. Imaging Dis. of Chest xv. 753/2 Malignant nerve sheath tumors are infrequent.

nerve-sick n. and adj. (a) n. people with nervous disorders, viewed collectively; (b) adj. suffering from a nervous disorder; anxious or highly strung.

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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of nervous system > [adjective] > suffering from

nerve-sick1854

1854 New Illustr. Hydropathic Q. Rev. No. 3 in Water-cure Jrnl. (N.Y.) June 144/2 (advt.) Ludicrous Ideas of the Nerve-sick.

1903 E. Childers Riddle of Sands ii. 13 An irresistible sense of peace and detachment combined with that delicious physical awakening that pulses through the nerve-sick townsman when city airs and bald routine are left behind him, combined to provide me..with a solid background of resignation.

1930 R. Macaulay Staying with Relations xv. 219 Poor child, to be born of quarrelling, nerve-sick parents into a home of strife.

1945 Commonweal 16 Nov. 111/2 Maybe it would help if we quit dinning other weary and nerve-sick nations with statements how strong we are.

1960 W. T. Doyle Charlotte Perkins Gilman & Cycle of Feminist Reform (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Calif., Berkeley) vi. 177 It was a wierd [sic] tale, one of the first of the psychological studies, describing a nerve-sick young mother driven mad by masculine insensitivity and the empty round of an invalid's life.

nerve specialist n. a neurologist.

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the world > health and disease > healing > healer > specialist > [noun] > nerves

neurotomist1726

nerve specialist1889

nerve doctor1892

neuroradiologist1955

1889 D. C. Murray & H. Murray Dangerous Catspaw 162 He was a famous nerve specialist when he retired from practice.

1920 A. J. Cummings in ‘W.N.P. Barbellion’ Last Diary p. xxx I persuaded him..to see a first-class nerve specialist.

2014 P. Spyra in A. Wicher et al. Basic Categories Fantastic Lit. Revisited iii. 54 Gilman, as the Gothic mode may lead us to suspect, never manages to see the nerve specialist before his untimely death.

nerve storm n. a sudden burst of neural activity thought to be responsible for epilepsy, migraine, and certain other disorders (now historical); (also) an emotional outburst or episode of disturbed behaviour.

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1874 Proc. Royal Soc. 1873–4 22 9 The subject of ‘Nerve Storms’ has been well discussed.

1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey iii. vi. 253 Naturally good-tempered, such a nerve-storm made him feel ill, and bruised in the brain.

1991 R. W. B. Lewis Jameses iii. xi. 386 The violence of consciousness and imagery suggestively resembled that in her retrospective account of the nerve storm in 1868.

nerve tester n. (a) something that makes one nervous or stressed; (b) an instrument for testing a nerve or the nervous system.

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1844 Christianity proved Idolatry Pref. p. iii Such curiously economical, and economically curious persons, as would most willingly learn the contents of this nerve-tester, but have serious objections to ‘pay for peeping’.

1894 Strand Feb. 119/1 A visit to this place is the finest and most complete nerve-tester in the world!

1943 Baltimore Bull. Educ. Sept. 37/1 Dig in for your life. What excitement. Tense feelings, nerve testers.

1977 Trans. Amer. Laryngolog. Soc. 98 107/1 When the appropriate nerve has been identified, it may be confirmed by stimulation with a nerve tester.

2017 G. Gay in P. L. Larke et al. Cultivating Achievement, Respect, & Empowerment (CARE) Afr. Amer. Girls v. 56 They [sc. some young girls] are insistent and stubborn, and, at times, nerve-testers.

2017 S. Said et al. in R. O. Greer et al. Pediatric Head & Neck Pathol. xi. 301/2 The substance of the parotid is dissected through anterior to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, testing for nerve activation with an appropriate nerve tester.

nerve tip n. Anatomy = nerve ending n.; also figurative.

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1888 O. W. Holmes Life & Lett. 19 July (1896) ii. 136 Natural anodynes..go on benumbing one nerve-tip after another.

1936 F. R. Leavis Revaluation v. 184 The sentiments and attitudes of the patriotic and Anglican Wordsworth..are external, general and conventional; their quality is that of the medium they are proffered in, which is..not felt into from within as something at the nerve-tips, but handled from outside.

1984 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 306 266 (caption) Material in the intermesenteric nerve extended proximally for at least 3.5 mm from the nerve tip in this animal.

nerve tonic n. a remedy thought to stimulate or benefit the nerves (also figurative).

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1869 S. Bowles Pacific Railroad 35 Asthma and bronchitis flee before the breath of this dry, pure atmosphere, and it operates as an exhilarating nerve-tonic to all.

1887 Bot. Gaz. 12 u9 (advt.) Horsford's Acid Phosphate... ‘From my experience, [I] can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc.’

1958 R. C. Rollins M. Fernald & A. Kinsey's Edible Wild Plants Eastern N. Amer. (ed. 2) 145 In remote districts of the United States and Canada the roots of orchids as ‘Nerve Roots’ have a large reputation as nerve-tonics and heal-alls.

2001 Sunday Mirror (Electronic ed.) 1 July Oat-based foods act as a nerve tonic while lettuce—known as ‘poor man's opium’—is said to have calming effects.

nerve track n. a nerve tract; (also) a nerve pathway.

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1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Nerve Nerve-track, the collective nerve-fibres which run through parts of the central nervous system to a distant collection of ganglion-cells.

1933 B. Gadelius Human Mentality iv. 101 Many psychological experiences..may be explained by the existence of subordinate relatively independent nerve-tracks.

1991 Science 15 Mar. 1334 The cuff neurites are found inside the connective tissue that surrounds the nerve track leading to the head.

nerve tract n. Anatomy a group or bundle of nerve fibres, esp. in the central nervous system.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of

file1607

funiculus1824

nerve filament1839

fillet1840

nerve fibril1851

lemniscus1857

nerve cord1864

nerve bundle1865

nerve branch1874

nerve plexus1877

nerve tract1877

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

fibre tract1904

1877 M. Foster Text Bk. Physiol. iii. i. 344 When the anterior roots are cut, the motor nerves alone degenerate, and can be similarly diagnosed in a mixed nerve-tract.

1878 F. J. Bell & E. R. Lankester tr. C. Gegenbaur Elements Compar. Anat. 217 The close association of the hæmal system and the nerve-tracts.

1966 Brit. Med. Bull. 22 266/2 On this view, various humoral agents (now called releasing factors) are liberated from nerve-endings (of hypothalamic nerve tracts) into the capillaries (primary plexus) of the portal vessels in the median eminence.

1981 R. N. Hardy Endocrine Physiol. vi. 55 The functional unit of hypothalamic nuclei, nerve-tracts and posterior pituitary gland is termed the neurohypophysis.

nerve trunk n. Anatomy the proximal part of a nerve, from which smaller branches arise.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > types of nerves > [noun]

sensitive?a1425

motivec1475

life stringc1522

recurrent1615

life corda1631

abducent1681

cord1774

chord1783

motor1824

afferent1828

excitor1836

nerve trunk1850

mixed nerve1861

inhibitory nerve1870

nervelet1875

vaso-motor1887

pilomotor1892

lemniscus1913

1850 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 140 742 The conduction of nervous force is prevented by pressure on the nerve-trunk.

1893 A. S. Eccles Sciatica 69 Inflammation of the nerve-trunk or its branches.

1942 O. Larsell Anat. Nerv. Syst. iv. 48 A delicate sheath of connective tissue fibers, continuous with the endoneurium of the nerve trunk, is intimately associated with and surrounds the neurolemma of most individual peripheral fibers.

1983 D. J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. II. xxi. 21/1 Electrical stimulation of nerve trunks or of cutaneous nerves can result in endorphins appearing in the cerebrospinal fluid.

nerve tube n. †(a) Anatomy a nerve fibre (obsolete); (b) Embryology a neural tube.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre

nerve1839

nerve fibre1839

nerve tube1839

nerve tubule1849

1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 592/1 It is evident that the contained matter of the nerve-tube is extremely soft.

1879 St. George's Hosp. Rep. 9 803 The nerve-tubes of the white matter were natural.

1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. ii. 46 Below the nerve-tube [of the embryo], a long straight rod is nipped off from the top of the gut.

1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) xvi. 565 Ependymal cells retain the epithelial character true of all the tissue of the embryonic nerve tube and persist in a layer of epithelium..lining the cavities of the brain and spinal cord.

nerve tubule n. Anatomy (now historical) a nerve fibre.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre

nerve1839

nerve fibre1839

nerve tube1839

nerve tubule1849

1849 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 139 142 The fungiform papillæ consist of a circular zone of epithelian cells..with nerve-tubules ascending and terminating.

1893 A. S. Eccles Sciatica 31 Where there is a change in the nerve-tubules themselves.

1939 Q. Rev. Biol. 14 398/2 An essential difference between the articulate brain tubules and the cylindrical, simple nerve tubules..was found by Ehrenberg.

1991 A. C. Moulyn Mind-Body i. 15 The animal spirits tumbled around in the pineal gland in a vortex, which was centered around a geometric point. The soul sent these spirits into the hollow nerve tubules, and they were the cause of the various functions in the periphery, which Descartes regarded as being pure mechanisms.

nerve tunic n. (a) Anatomy the retina (now historical); †(b) Zoology a nerve net (obsolete rare).

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > types of

touch cell1878

nerve glue1879

nerve tunic1881

neuroepithelium1889

1881 Littell's Living Age 26 Nov. 457/1 The surrounding parts of the nerve tunic of the eye are of very inferior sensibility in comparison with this central spot.

1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 184/1 An elongate animal, with a plexiform nerve-tunic.

1996 D. C. Lindberg tr. R. Bacon in Roger Bacon & Origins of ‘Perspectiva’ in Middle Ages 29 Spreading out from the nerve tunic that comes (according to everybody) from the dura mater is the second tunic of the eye.

nerve twig n. Anatomy any of the small terminal branches of a nerve.

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the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > branch

rame1578

surcle1578

ramus1615

sprig1634

twig1683

ramus communicans1798

rootlet1815

radicle1829

nerve twig1865

arm1870

radical1880

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

1865 Philos. Trans. 1864 (Royal Soc.) 154 449 (note) To both of which they afford a plentiful supply of nerve-twigs.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 20 If we find..the nerve-twigs of the limb affected.

1968 Brain 91 737 The muscle spindle is a complex sensori-motor structure lying between fasciculi of extrafusal muscle fibres, often near nerve twigs and blood vessels.

1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) iv. 604 The area of the lesion is anaesthetic, loss of sensation being caused by obliteration of cutaneous nerve twigs.

nerve war n. = war of nerves n. at Phrases 5.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > psychological warfare

psychological war1918

psychological warfare1939

war of nerves1939

nerve war1941

psychological operations1951

psy-war1951

psy-op1965

1941 Argus (Melbourne) Week-end Mag. 15 Nov. 1/4 Nerve war, grousing or complaining to get things done.

1942 Ann. Reg. 1941 212 The firm stand..against Japanese blackmail, cajolery, threats, and ‘nerve-war’.

1946 F. Williams Press, Parl. & People iii. 61 They [sc. the Germans]..convinced themselves that the message had been put out deliberately as part of a clever piece of nerve war to mislead them and try to make their defence forces jumpy.

1993 C. W. Koburger Naval Warfare in Eastern Mediterranean, 1040–1945 vii. 112 Raiding forces would continue to attack outlying enemy garrisons and step up the nerve war.

nerve-winged adj. Entomology neuropterous.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [adjective] > of wing(s) > of or relating to nervure > having nervures

nervose1819

nerve-winged1847

1847 H. McMurtrie Lexicon Scientiarum 158 Neuroptera, Ent... Nerve-winged.

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 37/2 The class or order Neuroptera, or nerve-winged flies—flies with clear gaudy wings, intersected with a network of veined markings.

1945 Sci. Monthly June 426 The general groupings include the larvae of moths and butterflies, beetles,..and nerve-winged insects.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	nerve
释义	nerven. Brit. /nəːv/, U.S. /nərv/ Forms: Middle English–1600s nerue, 1500s– nerve, 1600s narue, 1600s nearue, 1600s nerv; U.S. regional 1800s– narve; Scottish pre-1700 narve, pre-1700 nerue, pre-1700 1700s– nerve; also Irish English (northern) 1900s– narve. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin nervus. Etymology: < classical Latin nervus nerve, sinew, tendon, penis, plant fibre, animal tendon used for a particular purpose, bowstring, apparatus for securing prisoners, (plural) strength, vigour, energy, probably related to ancient Greek νεῦρον sinew, tendon, penis, plant fibre, bowstring, (plural) strength, vigour, in Hellenistic Greek (Galen, etc.) also in sense ‘nerve’ (compare branch 1a); < the Indo-European base also of Sanskrit snāvan, snāyu sinew (also in compound a-snāvira without sinews), Avestan snāvar- sinew, and comparable forms in other Indo-European languages.Compare ( < classical Latin nervus ) Old French, Middle French, French nerf (c1100: see nerf n.¹ and note below), Italian nervo (1292), and ( < classical Latin nervium ) Old Occitan, Occitan nervi (12th cent. in sense ‘tendon’), Spanish nervio (1251), German Nerv (early 16th cent.). A number of the senses are paralleled in French, as tendon (c1100), bowstring (c1282), nerve (1314), penis (1546 in Rabelais in the passage translated in quot. 1693¹ at sense 6), (plural) vigour (1559), architectural rib or moulding on a vault (1676), vein on a leaf (1685). With war of nerves (see Phrases 5) compare French guerre des nerfs (1940). With attack of nerves (see sense 13a) compare French attaque de nerfs (1835). With to have the nerve (see sense 14b) perhaps compare French avoir du nerf to have the energy (1787). With to get on a person's nerves (see Phrases 4) compare French donner sur les nerfs (1867). With the nerves of war (see sense 9a) compare Middle French, French les nerfes des batailles (1534 in Rabelais), le nerf de la guerre (1591), both with allusion to money. With sense 4 compare Middle French, French nervure (see nervure n.), Middle French, French nervin (c1550 in sense ‘piping on a piece of clothing’; 2nd half of the 14th cent. denoting the cord on a veil), and also nerve v. 1. Some early plural forms in sense 2 are perhaps rather to be interpreted as showing nerf n.¹ I. Specific concrete uses. 1. a. Any of the whitish, cord-like structures that connect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) with sensory receptors and effector organs (chiefly muscles and glands) in the rest of the body.Typically a nerve consists of one or more bundles of fibres (cell processes) with supporting tissue, and transmits signals in the form of electrical impulses to and from the central nervous system.abducens, accessory, cranial, hypoglossal, Jacobson's, motor, sciatic nerve, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > [noun] sinew1398 nervea1400 cordc1400 chord?1541 line1611 lingual1778 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 25^v Certeyn synewis..hatte nerui odorabiles.] a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 251 (MED) It is opilacioun of þe nerue þat comeþ fro þe brain & is holow & defendiþ þe siȝt, or it is cataracta þat is greet & stoppiþ þe nerue, & stoppiþ þe weie of þe spirit þat it mai not come to þe poynt of þe siȝt þat is clepid pupilla. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9 A nerue [?c1425 Paris synowy; L neruus] is a symple membre made to gif feling & mouyng to musculez & oþer particlez. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 9^v (MED) Þer be 7 pair of neruez which inmediatly springeþ of þe brayn, And 30 which be middes of nucha, And without felawe þat spryngeþ bi þe ende of ossarij. 1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 1^v The Nerues, which are the organs of sence. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. ix. 21 Yet ha we A Braine that nourishes our Nerues . View more context for this quotation 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §400 An Eye..thrust forth, so as it hanged a pretty distance by the Visuall Nerve. 1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iv. xxv. 293 Certain Spirits and Membranes, which..involve the Brain and all the Nerves. 1705 F. Fuller Medicina Gymnastica 29 Cutting off a Nerve, always causes the wasting of the Part to which that Nerve lead[s]. 1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §102 As the nerves are instruments of sensation, it follows that spasms in the nerves may produce all symptoms. 1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 4 340 Fallopius was the first who distinguished this nerve from the proper nerve of the voice. 1873 St. G. Mivart Lessons Elem. Anat. ix. 399 The spinal nerves arise in pairs from opposite sides of the spinal marrow. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 351 Lesions of the tegmental region are specially apt to affect the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth nerves. 1949 A. Koestler Insight & Outlook x. 148 Compare the short refractory period or afterdischarge of nerves. 1978 J. Miller Body in Question (1982) viii. 297 What happens when a nerve stimulates a muscle is..similar to what happens when a firing-pin detonates a charge of gunpowder. 1986 M. Hughes Dream Catcher vii. 94 If you can feel pain there is no damage to the nerves. 2001 Saga Nutritional Suppl. Spring Catal. Spring 36 The B vitamins..are thought to aid general metabolism, nerves, skin and the immune system. b. Nerve tissue. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre nerve1839 nerve fibre1839 nerve tube1839 nerve tubule1849 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 596/1 The influence which nerve exerts upon muscle to provoke it to contraction. 1877 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol. (ed. 4) 257 Tease out a bit of fresh nerve in..sodic chloride. 1905 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 76 337 Place a piece of nerve as truly in a straight line as possible between non-polarisable electrodes. 1975 Nature 6 Nov. 12/1 Teratomas and teratocarcinomas are rare tumours which arise in the gonads, and contain a whole variety of differentiated tissues of ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal origin (such as skin, nerve, muscle, cartilage, gut and lung), mixed together in a disorganised mass. 1993 Men's Health July 65/1 To relieve pain, [acupuncture] needles are inserted into ‘motor points’, spots in the body where nerve enters muscle. †2. A sinew or tendon. In later use poetic. Obsolete.The words nerve and sinew seem to have been used almost interchangeably for cord-like structures of the body (‘nerves’ and ‘tendons’ in the modern sense) in Middle English, with some confusion between the two words persisting until the early 17th cent. (and later in literary use) (cf. sinew n. 1, 2).In many of these quotations nerve may also be interpreted in sense 1a.In quot. 1818: (perhaps) the spermatic cord. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > sinew, tendon, or ligament > [noun] sinec725 sinewOE stringc1000 bend1398 nerfa1400 nervea1400 cordc1400 ligamentc1400 ligaturec1400 couple1535 chord?1541 lien?1541 tendon?1541 tendant1614 artery1621 leader1708 ligamentum1713 chorda1807 vinculum1859 Tenon's capsule1868 tendo1874 a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 160 If þer be ony nerues [L. neruus] or arterijs ouþer veynes kutt. c1450 J. Metham Physiognomy in Wks. (1916) 139 Feet the qwyche be fulle off neruys and veynys..sygnyfe dycrecion and gentylnes. a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 105 Thys ordur unyte & concord wherby the partys of thys body are as hyt were wyth senowys & nervys knyt togyddur. 1568 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS f. 239 Lufe..Quhilk did my hairt in pecis kerve And pers throw every vane & nerve [v.r. narve]. ?1606 M. Drayton Ode ix, in Poemes sig. C2^v Vp whose steepe side that swerues, It behoues haue strong nerues. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 105 Before his tender Joints with Nerves are knit. View more context for this quotation 1818 P. B. Shelley Julian & Maddalo 425 Like some maniac monk, I had torn out The nerves of manhood by their bleeding root. 3. a. Botany. A vein of a leaf or analogous part of a plant; spec. the midrib or a vein parallel to it. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [noun] > part or side of > rib or vein nerve?a1425 ribc1450 vein?c1450 sinew1551 brawn1601 master-vein1658 costa1699 venule1766 pen1773 surculus1775 midrib1793 venule1806 veinlet1807 rachis1830 nervure1842 nerving1854 ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 171^v Be þe herbez clensed fro neruez or þredez. 1585 J. Higgins tr. Junius Nomenclator 113 Neruus. The nerue, sinew or string of a leafe, as in plantaine. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 612 There is an Hearbe..the Nearue whereof in the middle is red. 1671 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1694) ii. 68 Through the middle of it run two black Stroaks or Nerves to the Stalk. 1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs I. 180 The Leaves are smal and fine, growing by Couples on each Side of a Nerve or Rib. 1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 794 The nerve or keel does not extend to the extremity of the leaves. 1832 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. i. ii. 88 If other veins similar to the midrib pass from the base to the apex of a leaf, such veins have been named nerves. 1863 M. J. Berkeley Handbk. Brit. Mosses iii. 14 There is one central nerve of variable length and thickness, occasionally projecting far beyond the tip of the leaf. 1886 Harper's Mag. May 841 Its neighbour creeps prostrate by its side, following the course of a lateral nerve of the leaf. 1906 H. J. Elwes & A. Henry Trees Great Brit. & Irel. IV. 957 Alnus tenuifolia... Upper surface [of leaves] dark green, pubescent on the midrib & nerves. 1937 S. F. Armstrong Brit. Grasses (ed. 3) i. vii. 152 Poa trivialis... Hairs may be present on the lower half of the dorsal nerve (keel), but none are present on the remaining nerves. 1965 P. Bell & D. Coombe tr. Strasburger's Textbk. Bot. (new ed.) 161 The thicker nerves, also referred to as ribs, usually project on the lower surface of the leaf like a framework. 1999 Functional Ecol. 13 399/1 Care was taken to measure the leaf blade in between the leaf nerves. b. Entomology. A nervure or vein in an insect's wing. Now rare or historical. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [noun] > wings(s) > nervure vein1658 nerve1752 venule1806 nervure1817 riba1836 subcosta1852 cubitus1895 media1895 cubit- 1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 69 Tetraptera. Insects having four wings. Class the Third, Neuroptera. Those which have membranaceous wings, with nerves and veins disposed in a reticulated form in them. 1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. II. 341 Wings slightly tinted with brown, and the nerves obscure. 1833 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. III. 277 The nerves of the wings in almost all the Diptera, are perfectly distinct. 1932 W. P. Flint & C. L. Metcalf Insects iv. 75 A very large battalion [of insects] was called the Neuroptera, or ‘nerve-winged insects’ because there are so many of the fine strengthening rods or ‘nerves’ running through the wing membranes. †4. Scottish. A thread or narrow band of material used to ornament a garment. Cf. nerve v. 1. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > other jace1399 loopa1475 shakers1506 aglet1530 nerve1531 pipe1533 targeting1563 pinion1583 pinioning1597 tzitzit1618 loop-lace1632 button1671 tip1681 fal-lal1703 falbala1705 furbelow1706 jewelling1718 weeper1724 pompom1748 chiffons1765 foliage-trimming1818 mancheron1822 piping1825 manchette1835 patte1835 streamer1838 waterfall1841 paillette1843 brandenburgs1873 motif1882 patch1884 smocking1888 jockey1896 strapping1898 steel1899 sparklet1902 slotting1923 1531 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 20 For xv elnis blak satyn..to be ane goune cuttit out with tway nervis of the selff. 1532 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 78 To be ane hogtoun with lumbardis and nervis..viij elnis blak veluot. 5. A string or cord made from animal tendon; esp. a bowstring. In later use chiefly poetic. Now rare or historical. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > main sinew > sinew or tendon extracted nerve1653 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > archer's weapons > [noun] > bow > string stringa900 bowstring1486 nerve1719 1653 Ld. Brouncker tr. R. Descartes Excellent Compend. Musick 8 The Nerves of a Lute, of which when any one is percussed, those strings, which are an eight, or fifth more acute, tremble and resound of their own accord. 1674 A. Cremer tr. J. Scheffer Hist. Lapland 100 Pine or Deale boards, not fasten'd with nails, but sew'd together..commonly with Rain-deers nerves. 1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. iv. 8 Close to his Breast he strains the Nerve below, 'Till the barb'd Point approach the circling Bow. 1719 E. Young Busiris i. 4 When a Persian Arm Can Thus with Vigour its Reluctance bend,..And to the Nerve its stubborn Force subdue. 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. viii. 371 Teucer had newly fitted to the nerve An arrow keen. 1802 Brookes' Gazetteer (ed. 12) at Lapland They prepare the nerves of the raindeer in such a manner as to make them serve for thread. 1818 J. Keats Endymion iv. 179 He tries the nerve of Phœbus' golden bow. 1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind 130 They would throw nerves or sinews into the fire. 1968 J. Arnold Shell Bk. Country Crafts 221 The Englishman..keeping his right hand at rest upon ‘the nerve’..pressed the whole weight of his body into the horns of his bow. †6. The penis. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis weapona1000 tarsec1000 pintleOE cock?c1335 pillicock?c1335 yard1379 arrowa1382 looma1400 vergea1400 instrumentc1405 fidcocka1475 privya1500 virile member (or yard)?1541 prickc1555 tool1563 pillock1568 penis1578 codpiece1584 needle1592 bauble1593 dildo1597 nag1598 virility1598 ferret1599 rubigo?a1600 Jack1604 mentula1605 virge1608 prependent1610 flute1611 other thing1628 engine1634 manhood1640 cod1650 quillity1653 rammer1653 runnion1655 pego1663 sex1664 propagator1670 membrum virile1672 nervea1680 whore-pipe1684 Roger1689 pudding1693 handle?1731 machine1749 shaft1772 jock1790 poker1811 dickyc1815 Johnny?1833 organ1833 intromittent apparatus1836 root1846 Johnson1863 Peter1870 John Henry1874 dickc1890 dingusc1890 John Thomasc1890 old fellowc1890 Aaron's rod1891 dingle-dangle1893 middle leg1896 mole1896 pisser1896 micky1898 baby-maker1902 old man1902 pecker1902 pizzle1902 willy1905 ding-dong1906 mickey1909 pencil1916 dingbatc1920 plonkerc1920 Johna1922 whangera1922 knob1922 tube1922 ding1926 pee-pee1927 prong1927 pud1927 hose1928 whang1928 dong1930 putz1934 porkc1935 wiener1935 weenie1939 length1949 tadger1949 winkle1951 dinger1953 winky1954 dork1961 virilia1962 rig1964 wee-wee1964 Percy1965 meat tool1966 chopper1967 schlong1967 swipe1967 chode1968 trouser snake1968 ding-a-ling1969 dipstick1970 tonk1970 noonies1972 salami1977 monkey1978 langer1983 wanker1987 a1680 J. Bargrave Pope Alexander VII (1867) ii. 138 Receiving so many blows a day with a bull's nerve, until he was beaten to death. 1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xxxi. 261 The Cavernous Nerve; whose office is to ejaculate the Moisture for the Propagation of Humane Progeny. 1693 J. Dryden tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires x. 204 The limber Nerve, in vain provok'd to rise. 1705 J. Dunton Whipping-post 10 July v. 19 [A man says to] a wrinkl'd Hag.., the slack Nerve refuses to engage, And flys Love's Sepulchre, the Lustful Age. †7. Architecture. A rib or moulding on a vault. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > other mouldings bowtell1376 crownwork1594 protypum1601 chaplet1623 bandeleta1645 bedding-moulding1664 quadra1664 surbase1678 platband1696 bed-moulding1703 eyebrow1703 square1703 gorge1706 nerve1728 heel1734 quirk-moulding1776 star1781 bead1799 rope moulding1813 zigzag1814 chevron-moulding1815 nebule1823 billet1835 dancette1838 pellet moulding1838 vignette moulding1842 bird's beak moulding1845 beak-head ornament1848 beak-head1849 billet moulding1851 beading1858 bead-work1881 Venetian dentil1892 chevron-work- 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Nerves, in Architecture, are the Mouldings of the Projecting-Arches of Vaults. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 589 Nerves, the mouldings of the groined ribs of Gothic vaults. 1838 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 2) 85 Nerves, the mouldings on the surface of a vault. †8. = stock n.¹ 8a. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > public or popular punishments > [noun] > punishing by pillory or stocks > pillory or stocks stocksc1325 pilloryc1330 stocka1382 gofe1489 stretchneck1543 harmans1567 foot trap1585 pigeonholes1592 jougs1596 berlina1607 halsfang1607 gorget1635 cippusa1637 nutcrackers1648 catasta1664 wooden cravat1676 the wooden ruff1677 neck stock1681 wooden casement1685 timber-stairsc1750 Norway neckcloth1785 law-neck-cloth1789 stoop1795 timber1851–4 nerve1854 1854 N. Wiseman Fabiola ii. xxi Let this Lucianus be kept in the nerve (stocks) with his feet stretched to the fifth hole. II. Extended, figurative, and phrasal uses relating to strength, vigour, or force (cf. sense 2).Many of the extended uses in this branch correspond closely to the extended uses of sinew (as well as to uses of classical Latin nervus and French nerf). †9. a. In plural. Those things, qualities, elements, etc., which constitute the main strength or vigour of something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > strengthening or confirmation of immaterial things > [noun] > a source or means of > strength or force behind war, state, nation, etc. sinew1560 nerves1598 animal spirit1719 stamina1779 brawn1883 1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia sig. A4^v A fift Element he doth auerre: Deserues not he to make the wise men euen, Who odly thus makes odd the Nerues of heauen? 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 54 Agamemnon, Thou great Commander, nerues and bone of Greece. View more context for this quotation 1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 86 Not that he wanted (the nerves of war) mony. 1683 T. Tenison Argument for Union 20 They have the Nerves of worldly Power, that is, banks of Money. 1728 J. Morgan Hist. Barbary Epitomiz'd in Compl. Hist. Algiers I. 98 The Camels are to them the very Nerves of War and the Regales of Peace. 1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. xvi. 564 Prosperity had relaxed the nerves of discipline. 1832 J. Austin Province Jurispr. vi. 319 Good laws well administered, are..the nerves of the common weal [in Bacon's figurative language]. b. In singular in same sense. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1683 J. Dryden & N. Lee Duke of Guise ii. ii. 18 Ordnance, Munition, and the Nerve of War, Sound Infantry. 1726 tr. J. Cavalier Mem. Wars Cevennes i. 109 Money, which is the Nerve and Sinew of War. 1834 N. Amer. Rev. Oct. 452 It crushes its best affections and tears out the very nerve of its inner life. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 341 Hannibal had been the nerve and soul of the war. 1894 J. R. Illingworth Personality iii. 65 Morality, which is the very nerve of personality. †10. Strength, vigour, energy. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun] greennesseOE lustinessc1325 forcea1375 vigourc1386 virrc1575 vigour1602 nerve1605 vivacity1649 vis1650 actuosity1660 amenity1661 vogue1674 energy1783 smeddum1790 dash1796 throughput1808 feck1811 go1825 steam1826 jism1842 vim1843 animalism1848 fizz1856 jasm1860 verve1863 snap1865 sawdusta1873 élan1880 stingo1885 energeticism1891 sprawl1894 zip1899 pep1908 jazz1912 zoom1926 toe1963 zap1968 stank1997 1605 G. Chapman et al. Eastward Hoe iii. sig. E2 Braue Gossip, all that I can do To my best Nerue, is wholly at your seruice. 1659 J. Milton Civil Power in Wks. (1851) V. 336 Having herin the scripture so copious and so plane, we have all that can be properly calld true strength and nerve. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 639 He led me on to mightiest deeds Above the nerve of mortal arm. View more context for this quotation 1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 34 Not..too near extreme wealth to slacken the nerve of labour. 1841 G. Catlin Lett. N. Amer. Indians II. lvi. 207 Nerve was given liberally to our paddles. 1874 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. (1897) I. ix. 269 The Normans..added nerve and force to the system with which they identified themselves. 11. spec. a. Strength and durability (of wool); elasticity (of rubber). rare. ΚΠ 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 144 Too long a continuance of the wool in the yolk water, hurts its quality very much, by weakening its cohesion, causing the filaments to swell, and even to split. It is said then to have lost its nerve. 1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. at Nerve 11. Rubber. The aggregate of the physical properties, esp. elasticity, characteristic of raw rubber; rubbery quality... 12. Textiles. Strength and durability of wool fiber. 1947 A. H. Warth Chem. & Technol. Waxes vi. 292 In milling, after the crepe rubber has lost its nerve on the mill, the wax is immediately introduced in small portions at at time. †b. Of cork: the property of having a non-porous surface. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1878 Encycl. Brit. VI. 402/1 In the heating operation the surface is charred, and thereby the pores are closed up, and what is termed ‘nerve’ is given to the material. III. Extended, figurative, and phrasal uses relating to nervous or mental activity. 12. a. Chiefly in plural. In non-scientific contexts, with reference to a person's feeling, courage, disposition, etc. Now frequently in to live on one's nerves: to lead a highly stressful or emotionally demanding life. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > courage > [noun] elne888 bieldc890 daringc1374 coraiouste1382 inwit1382 courageousnessa1513 courage1540 couragie1556 valour1581 nerve1602 stoutheartednessa1683 noble-heartedness1836 lionheartedness1885 gut1893 gutsiness1893 bottle1958 the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > seat of the emotions > [noun] > nerves nerve1602 the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)] > continuously to live on one's nerves1927 1602 B. Jonson Poetaster Induct. sig. A2 Light, I salute thee; but with wounded nerues . View more context for this quotation 1742 A. Pope New Dunciad 56 Racks and Tortures soon shall..Break all their nerves, and fritter all their sense. 1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 12 Those powers that..Catch every nerve, and vibrate through the frame. 1801 M. Edgeworth Angelina iv, in Moral Tales II. 85 Not the fittest companion in the world, for a person of your ladyship's nerves. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Walking to Mail in Poems (new ed.) II. 51 What know we of the secret of a man? His nerves were wrong. 1879 R. Browning Martin Relph 56 We soldiers need nerves of steel! 1927 Daily Tel. 1 Nov. 7 The correspondence about the dramatic version of ‘The Secret Agent’..is almost interminable. One sees that Conrad lived on his nerves, as the French say, and that he took a secret delight in parading his petty cares. 1972 M. Shadbolt Strangers & Journeys xxiv. 527 ‘Of course I've bloody well tried,’ I snapped, and then was sorry. My nerves were ragged. 1989 Mod. Painters Autumn 74/1 Modernism..condemns its artists to live on their nerves, without any tradition to have recourse or reference to or any conventions to rebound off. b. In extended use. Now rare. ΚΠ 1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. 888 The Political Nerves and Arteries, by which their several Parts..are united to one another. 1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 487 The Muse..pours a sensibility divine Along the nerve of every feeling line. 1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) ii. 126 The nerves of the faith of Israel were not unstrung. 1898 H. H. Furness in Winter's Tale Pref. 13 In feeling the pulse of that public he had as a guide the most sensitive of nerves: the pocket. 2000 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 33 471 John Timbs [in 1868]..described the metropolis's telegraph system as ‘the nerves of London’. 13. a. In plural. Disordered or heightened sensitivity; anxiety, fearfulness, tension, nervousness; spec. nervousness suffered (by an actor, sportsman, etc.) before or during a performance, etc. Frequently in attack of nerves and variants. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness nerves1742 nervosity1787 nervousness1798 all-overs1829 nerviness1916 vertical gust1917 wind-up1917 vertical breeze1925 nail-biting1952 the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > neurosis nerves1742 neurosis1783 neuropathy1857 nervosisme1884 neurose1886 neuroticism1900 the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > unhealthy excitement > [noun] hysterica passio1769 hysteria1839 nerves1892 1742 H. Walpole Let. 10 June (1955) XVII. 452 I am afraid I have a little fever upon my spirits, or at least I have nerves, which you know everybody has in England. 1817 J. Austen Let. 23 Mar. (1952) 141 Nervous enough in some respects, but in others perfectly without nerves! 1838 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby (1839) xxi. 201 What is my wife's complaint?.. Is it nerves? 1840 E. S. Wortley Eva v. i. 108 My lady hath a sharp attack of nerves; A terrible malady—I know it well! 1892 M. North Recoll. Happy Life I. 107 That tree..always gave me a fit of nerves. 1914 G. W. Young From Trenches vii. 143 The control of the population is admirable in its restraint. We have no ‘nerves’ here yet. 1948 A. Christie Taken at Flood i. i. 20 The poor girl was blitzed and had shock from blast... She's a mass of nerves. 1960 J. Betjeman in London Mag. Nov. 13 Pre-prize day nerves? Or too much bitter beer? 1987 Grimsby Evening Tel. 7 Dec. 12 Just as nerves began to affect all four players Henry cleared the colours in the seventh frame. 1996 S. Woolfe Leaning towards Infinity (1998) 39 It was a story he's told me many times—how Grandma Fernandez had scared her daughter silly and that was why my mother had developed nerves. †b. An attack or fit of anxiety or fear. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness > a fit of nervousness nervosity1791 nerve1816 needle1874 1816 J. Austen Emma I. xi. 195 She..had many fears and many nerves . View more context for this quotation 14. a. Coolness in adversity or danger; boldness, courage, assurance. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > courage > spirit > nerve > [noun] bravour1695 animal spirits1696 nerve1809 moxie1930 1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. II. vi. ii. 91 He..spoke forth, like a man of nerve and vigour. 1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. ii. xiv. 192 You have nerve enough, you know, for anything. 1852 Ld. Tennyson Ode Wellington 37 O iron nerve to true occasion true! 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxvii. 456 Do you think you have nerve to cut this hook out of my finger? 1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. x. 233 I'm just a fool who hangs round without the nerve to act. 1937 ‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier xii. 227 The first men who went up in aeroplanes were superlatively brave, and even to-day it must need an exceptionally good nerve to be a pilot. 1958 Argosy Sept. 15 In the imperial air itself, the nerve it took, the calm arrogance of their strange and self-sufficient alliance. 1980 B. Castle Castle Diaries 107 The next few months are going to take all my nerve as the press sensationalizes every incident in every hospital. 2002 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 1/4 Rhona Martin kept her nerve with the very last stone of the match. b. colloquial. Audacity, impudence, cheek. Esp. in to have a nerve (also to have the nerve to). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > be or become impudent [verb (intransitive)] > be impudent enough to to have the face (to do something)?1562 to have the conscience1595 to have the cheek (to do something)1823 to have a nerve1887 1887 Lantern (New Orleans) 6 Aug. 3/3 Oh, this is a nerve, sure. 1890 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang II. 84/2 Nerve (Eton), impudence. a1901 B. E. Woolf Mighty Dollar in B. H. Clark Favorite Amer. Plays 19th Cent. (1943) 490 They come down here and parade about the legislative halls of the nation with more nerve than a duly elected member. a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. xx. 352 More money!.. You have got a nerve!—when factories are shutting down everywhere. 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Apr. 4/2 No one had the nerve to claim this should be done, because it would have been laughed out of court immediately. 1930 V. Sackville-West Edwardians vi. 220 The cabby exclaimed that the young toff had a nerve and no mistake. 1955 ‘N. Shute’ Requiem for Wren (1956) 96 Making a survey I suppose. Photographing everything he can. He's got a bloody nerve. 1988 D. Lodge Nice Work iv. i. 133 I didn't think you'd have the nerve to show your face in this place again. Phrases P1. to strain every nerve and similar phrases: to make a great physical effort; to make the utmost effort. ΚΠ 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1646 This utter'd, straining all his nerves he bow'd. View more context for this quotation a1771 T. Gray Statius in Mem. (1775) 9 He..Brac'd all his nerves, and every sinew strung. 1780 T. Jefferson Corr. in Wks. (1859) I. 251 We shall exert every nerve to assist you. 1894 L. Stephen Playground of Europe (new ed.) viii. 184 We strained every nerve to reach the top. 1939 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 23 Dec. in Yours, Plum (1990) 145 Do strain every nerve to get me a definite commission. 1989 P. Stead Film & Working Class (BNC) 31 Comedians had to strain every nerve and to try every joke in order to release that laughter. †P2. to be all nerve (also to be nerve all over): to be hypersensitive or excessively nervous. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > be in state of nervous excitement [verb (intransitive)] to take ona1450 seethe1609 trepidate1623 to take on oneself1632 flutter1668 pother1715 to be upon the nettle (also in a nettle)1723 to be nerve all over1778 to be all nerve1819 to be (all) on wires1824 to break up1825 to carry on1828 to be on (occasionally upon or on the) edge1872 faff1874 to have kittens1900 flap1910 to be in, get in(to), a flap1939 to go sparec1942 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 faffle1965 to get one's knickers in a twist1971 to have a canary1971 to wet one's pants1979 tweak1981 1778 F. Burney Evelina III. iii. 28 ‘Your Ladyship's constitution..is infinitely delicate.’ ‘Indeed it is... I am nerve all over!’ 1819 C. Dibdin Young Arthur 226 While yawning deeps and ruthless rocks engage His fever'd mind, each vein prepar'd to start, His frame's all nerve and ev'ry nerve an heart. 1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. i. v. 151 Paul seemed to be always in a state of nervous tension. ‘He is all nerve,’ the Venetian minister..writes of him. P3. to touch (also hit) a (raw) nerve: to provoke an emotional response, esp. by introducing a contentious, delicate, or poignant subject. ΚΠ 1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence x. 138 You touched a nerve, my dear Mrs. Layton, when you satarised old bachelors. 1861 G. Meredith Evan Harrington II. v. 91 ‘Touching a nerve’ is one of those unforgiveable small offences which, in our civilised state, produce the social vendettas and dramas that, with savage nations, spring from the spilling of blood. 1899 Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer 21 July 8/4 Your mother looks at you sometimes in church when the sermon touches a particularly raw nerve in your spiritual makeup. 1920 Times 22 Sept. 9/1 Nor is that the only raw nerve that has been touched. 1951 L. P. Hartley My Fellow Devils xiv. 132 The chagrin and disappointment he had suffered touched some nerve in him that intelligence and ambition and industry had never reached. 1962 Listener 22 Mar. 512/2 Lukács's description of existentialism as a ‘permanent carnival of fetishized inwardness’ touched a raw nerve. 1974 E. Ambler Dr. Frigo ii. 114 I had touched a nerve. ‘Delvert! That man is..corrupt.’ 1994 This Mag. (Toronto) Nov. 13/1 Elena hit a nerve and found herself the centre of a heated debate. 2000 Independent 10 Aug. ii. 4/3 The Slow Cities project touches a nerve because one of the growing divisions in our society is not about money but about time: between the time-rich and the time-poor. P4. to get on a person's nerves: to (begin to) be a source of irritation or anxiety to a person.In more recent use the commonest implication is of annoyance or irritation rather than of worry or fear. ΚΠ 1891 O. Wilde Picture of Dorian Gray xix. 325 Perhaps you are tired of Gladys? I thought you would be. Her clever tongue gets on one's nerves. 1908 H. G. Wells War in Air iv. 125 This flying gets on one's nerves. 1920 B. Cronin Timber Wolves ii. 34 Hotel hogs, I call 'em. Come in and jolly a chap as if they owned the whole joke. Gets on your nerves when you've been out of your bed all night. 1959 T. S. Eliot Elder Statesman iii. 99 I remember, when I came home for the holidays How it used to get on my nerves, when I saw you Always sitting there with your nose in a book. 1972 J. Wilson Hide & Seek vii. 118 Alice and I are really close, even if we do get on each other's nerves sometimes. 2000 New Republic 18 Dec. 30/2 One of the..motifs of Sylvia Plath's journals..is Ted's greasy hair and ragged nails..getting on her nerves. P5. war of nerves n. the use of hostile or subversive propaganda to undermine morale and cause confusion and uncertainty; psychological warfare; also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > psychological warfare psychological war1918 psychological warfare1939 war of nerves1939 nerve war1941 psychological operations1951 psy-war1951 psy-op1965 1939 Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. 26 465 A propaganda war could be a substitute for a war of physical destruction. For a moment, during the war of nerves, it seemed that that might come to pass. 1940 Ann. Reg. 1939 81 The British public..did not allow the ‘war of nerves’ organised by the Nazi Government to interfere in the least with its August holiday. 1953 E. Simon Past Masters iv. ii. 223 War of nerves... Best thing to do is take no notice. 1974 P. Wright Lang. Brit. Industry ii. 26 Recent threats of conflicts have produced, e.g., cold war and war of nerves. 1989 R. Whiting You gotta have Wa (1990) ii. 49 The ‘get-set’ ritual in sumo, for example, with its squatting, stamping, and fierce glaring, has its equivalent in the war of nerves the pitcher and the batter wage, which involves delaying tactics like calling time and cleaning spikes. Compounds C1. a. attributive. Chiefly Physiology and Medicine. † nerve-ache n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1822 J. M. Good Study Med. III. 286 Nerve-ache of the face. 1864 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 304 Thackeray had a nerve-ache of this sort always. nerve action n. ΚΠ 1851 T. Laycock tr. J. A. Unzer Princ. Physiol. 223 If a nerve causes nerve actions..the impression is transmitted along the nerve upwards to the brain. 1884 Mind 9 189 They appear to prove that there are pleasures and pains inherent in certain forms of nerve-action as such, wherever that action occurs. 1991 Time 3 June 63/2 Neither chemical came with a warning of dangerous interaction, but the impact of diazinon, an organophosphate that inhibits nerve action, was apparently magnified by the Tagamet. nerve branch n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1874 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 164 135 The sinus giving off branches in which the nerve-branches lie. 1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. i. 26 This ganglion is connected with the corresponding spinal nerve by a thin nerve-branch. 1997 New Scientist 13 Dec. 8/1 Researchers found that dorsal root ganglia, swellings on nerve branches near the spinal cord that lie within the vertebrae, are infective. nerve bulb n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > [noun] > grey matter > nerve centre ganglion1805 centre1809 nerve bulb1862 nerve centre1870 1862 Proc. Royal Soc. 1860–62 11 81 The elements of the picture-seeing eye are..1st, a nerve-fibre, and bulb; 2ndly, a cell..resting on the nerve-bulb. 1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 678 The granular mass..is probably a sensory nerve-bulb. 1961 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 243 221 Many nerve bulbs are seated in cup-like depressions of the intrafusal muscle fibres. nerve bundle n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 248 Branches pass off and run on the surface of the sarcolemma, probably passing on to other nerve-bundles. 1964 S. Duke-Elder Parsons' Dis. Eye (ed. 14) xxi. 306 The early changes are characteristic nerve-bundle defects. 1990 Q. Jrnl. Med. 67 1215 The presence of cellular infiltrations in autonomic ganglia and nerve bundles at autopsy. nerve chain n. ΚΠ 1874 Philos. Trans. 1873 (Royal Soc.) 163 635 The nerve-chain shows five ganglia in the thoracic region. 1888 G. Rolleston & W. H. Jackson Forms Animal Life (ed. 2) 505 A ventral sinus..lodging the nerve-chain. 1970 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 66 455 A 0.5-cm section of the sympathetic nerve chain was removed low in the neck. nerve channel n. ΚΠ 1875 Proc. Royal Soc. 1874–5 23 313 White blood-cells..are found..in rows in the nerve-channels. 1951 J. M. Fraser Psychol. ii. 13 A message..will be sent along a nerve-channel to the brain. 1997 Guardian 27 May ii. 14/1 Sue is one of 24,000 people suffering from neurofibromatosis (NF), a hereditary condition involving the overgrowth of nerve channels which can severely distort the skin. nerve disease n. ΚΠ 1865 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 28 411 Of brain and nerve diseases ·199 men and ·168 women [die]. 1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. viii. 97 Those who have studied nerve-disease. 1993 New Scientist 25 Sept. 9/1 The ‘biggest surprise’ was evidence that tetanus and oral polio vaccine caused Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nerve disease that causes numbness and weakness in the limbs. nerve element n. ΚΠ 1866 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 156 569 This fibrous sheath..effectively conceals the real nerve-elements within it. 1988 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85 948 Several different fragments of prosomatostatin-derived peptides exist in nerve elements in, among other brain regions, the hippocampus. nerve fibril n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1851 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 141 615 The nerve-fibrils wind around, and apparently in contact with, the vesicles. 1912 J. S. Huxley Individual in Animal Kingdom v. 138 The fine endings of nerve-fibrils. 1982 A. F. Wallace Progress Plastic Surg. xx. 178 The grafts acquired a new blood supply, later neurotonization proceeded from the motor nerve fibrils in adjacent muscle and with it the power of active contraction. nerve filament n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 594/1 The nerve filaments are simply placed in juxta-position. 1898 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 190 68 The only nerve-filaments existing have been to all appearance those of ventral roots. 1987 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 231 161 Silver-stained terminal degeneration of nerve filaments..can be found. nerve ganglion n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ganglion ganglion1698 lenticular ganglion1793 nerve-knot1832 Casserian (or Gasserian) ganglion1842 station1855 nerve ganglion1870 1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life 132 The chain of nerve ganglia. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xlv. 354 There is [in the spider] a dorsal brain, connected by a nerve-ring round the gullet with the ventral centres or nerve-ganglia. 1969 R. F. Chapman Insects ii. 30 There is no real evidence that the wasp attempts to inject its venom into a nerve ganglion. 1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) iii. 245 Important examples of latency..occur in infections with the herpesviruses, herpes simplex (cold sores) and varicella-zoster (chicken pox), which become latent in sensory nerve ganglia. nerve matter n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] neurine1836 nerve substance1839 nerve matter1843 nerve tissue1856 1843 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 133 238 Each process filled with granules of apparently nerve matter. 1878 J. Fiske in N. Amer. Rev. 126 33 The causation of consciousness by nerve-matter. 1958 Systematic Zool. 7 23/2 There is often a concentration of nerve matter in the region of the statocyst. nerve-motion n. ΚΠ 1859 R. H. Cooke tr. J. F. C. Hecker Child-pilgrimages in B. G. Babington tr. J. F. C. Hecker Epidemics Middle Ages (ed. 3) App. 347 A nerve-motion radiates from the brain to the sympathetic nerve, and produces here..a sensation which may, or may not, be attended by organic activity or by motion. 1917 P. Coffey Epistemology II. xviii. 126 The internal, sensible appearance is an immediately apprehended nerve motion or organic condition appearing as an external train or hailstone motion. 2012 M. H. Cameron Physical Agents in Rehabilitation ii. vi. 112/1 Adverse neural tension is most commonly caused by restriction of nerve motion. nerve network n. ΚΠ 1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 236 In this drawing the general arrangement of the nerve network is represented. 1876 E. Dowden Poems 64 The shapely, agile creature named a man, So artful, with the quick-conceiving brain, Nerve-network, and the hand to grasp and hold. 1900 Jrnl. Nerv. & Mental Dis. 27 476 He [sc. Waldeyer] acknowledges that his ideas of the mode of conduction are based on the view that no anastomosing nerve networks occur, but only a nerve feltwork (neuropilema, His). 1995 J. Shreeve Neandertal Enigma (1996) v. 121 The idea that a single key mutation might lay the foundation for new nerve networks associated with language is not new. nerve pill n. ΚΠ 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 505/1 Carter's little liver pills... Nerve pills. 1992 R. D. Hays & A. L. Stewart in A. L. Stewart & J. E. Ware Measuring Functioning & Well-Being iii. xiv. 243 The MOS asked separately about use of sleeping pills and use of tranquilizers, sedatives, or nerve pills. nerve plexus n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1877 Proc. Royal Soc. 1876–7 25 479 The most interesting questions with which my previous paper was concerned were, first as to the presence of a rudimentary nerve-plexus. 1947 W. E. Le Gros Clark Anat. Pattern 7 The multiple nerve fibres approach the spot from different directions through the cutaneous nerve plexus, so that stimulation of a sensory spot gives rise to nerve impulses which reach the central nervous system by different routes. 1994 B. Hambly Crossroad vi. 71 Mr. Spock reached out and pressurized the brachial nerve plexus. nerve shock n. ΚΠ 1867 J. Hilton Hunterian Oration 36 Even now we use the terms ‘collapse’ and ‘nerve shock’ without attaching to them any exact signification. 1927 Princeton Alumni Weekly 11 Feb. 539/2 Nerve shock reveals itself in curious ways. Some of its symptoms are peevish, irritable, unreasonable. 2011 Y. Ma Biomed. Acupuncture Sports & Trauma Rehabilitation vi. 56/2 The sensation could be nerve shock spreading proximally and distantly, sharp pain, tingling, and sometimes a stinging or burning sensation. nerve stem n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > main part truncus1693 nerve stem1856 1856–8 W. Clark tr. J. van der Hoeven Handbk. Zool. I. 11 The nerve-stems and the bundles of which they consist, are surrounded with coats of conjunctive tissue, called neurilema. 1876 J. Bernstein Five Senses 23 In the healed scar the nerve-stems are often irritated. 1987 M. S. Laverack & J. Dando Lect. Notes Invertebr. Zool. (ed. 3) xxi. 106 (table) Nerve stem is intra-epidermal in archiannelids. nerve structure n. ΚΠ 1847 New Orleans Med. & Surg. Jrnl. Sept. 192 Neither the sense of taste, nor the sense of smell can be infered from any nerve-structure alone. 1919 H. H. Goddard Psychol. Normal & Subnormal xi. 193 Whether we consider the most primitive nerve structure in the lowest animal in which nerve substance has been found, or the most elaborate brain of the most intellectual man, it is the same. 2014 L. Perotti et al. in F. Alemanno et al. Anesthesia of Upper Limb v. 50/1 Starting the search for the nerve structure at a high amperage..maximizes the sensitivity (ability to elicit a motor response). nerve substance n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] neurine1836 nerve substance1839 nerve matter1843 nerve tissue1856 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 596/1 We have no evidence of any mingling of the true nerve-substance with the sarcous elements. 1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) ii. 13 The primary form [of colliquative necrosis] occurs in the brain, where the conditions are unfavourable for coagulation; a simple softening of the nerve-substance results. 1980 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77 2296/1 It would be surprising if some nerve substance from the regenerating nerve is the cause of faster turnover. nerve supply n. ΚΠ 1857 Proc. Royal Soc. 1856–7 8 482 We must find something much wider than any peculiarity in the structure or nerve-supply of hearts. 1872 G. M. Humphry Observ. Myology 7 The arrangement does not interfere with the nerve-supply. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XX. 916/1 A salivary gland degenerates when its nerve-supply is cut off. 1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) xviii. 478 Tabetic arthropathy.—This is an essentially degenerative change which may occur in joints when their sensory nerve supply is destroyed. 1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) xvii. 612 The visceral motor nerve supply to the internal organs of the body is of a peculiar type. nerve test n. ΚΠ 1909 Westm. Gaz. 29 May 8/3 (heading) A zoological nerve-test. 1999 Grocer 24 July 52/1 Nerve test:..EQ is a better indicator than IQ of how staff will perform. nerve tissue n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] neurine1836 nerve substance1839 nerve matter1843 nerve tissue1856 1856 Littell's Living Age 3 Oct. 13/2 A cellular tissue would never develope into a nerve tissue unless some new element were introduced. 1859 Philos. Trans. 1858 (Royal Soc.) 148 900 He often saw bundles and fibres, which he believed to be nerve tissue passing towards the hair-tubes. 1967 Brain 90 297 Freund's adjuvant..which enhanced the antigenic activity of the injected nerve tissue. 1995 Independent 10 Feb. 10/2 Cochlear implants work by directly stimulating the nerve tissue of the inner ear. nerve vesicle n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell > types of nerve vesicle1839 brain cell1848 stellate cell1870 Purkinje cell1872 neuroblast1878 touch cell1878 Golgi('s) cell1892 memory cell1892 astrocyte1896 astroblast1897 motor neuron1897 cytochrome1898 stichochrome1899 monaxon1900 basket cell1901 relay neuron1903 internuncial neuron1906 sheath cell1906 motoneuron1908 adjustor1909 satellite1912 microglia1924 oligodendroglia1924 sympathicoblast1927 pituicyte1930 oligodendrocyte1932 sympathoblast1934 sympathogonia1934 interneuron1938 Renshaw cell1954 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 647/2 A very interesting form of nerve-vesicle. 1873 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) 32 489 How is it known that there is a ‘nerve vesicle’ answering to every feeling? 1971 Science 24 Dec. 1351/1 The estimated half-life of the sympathetic nerve vesicle is 3 weeks. nerve wave n. ΚΠ 1878 N. Amer. Rev. 126 35 Heat-waves, light-waves, nerve-waves, etc. 1897 Living Age 21 Aug. 504 Thousands of nerve-impulses or nerve-waves (neurocymes) flow continually through the fibres and cells of our neurons. 1933 Sci. Monthly Oct. 318/2 We see nerve waves chasing each other along the screen of an oscillograph. b. Objective. (a) nerve-cutting n. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operations on nerves neurotomy1704 nerve-cutting1831 neurectomy1857 sympathectomy1900 gangliectomy1901 ganglionectomy1901 vagotomy1906 rhizotomy1910 phrenicotomy1913 cordotomy1923 ramisection1924 ramisectomy1924 phrenicectomy1926 1831 W. Youatt Horse vii. 110 The operation of neurotomy, or nerve-cutting. 1955 Sci. News Let. 22 Oct. 262/1 The nerve-cutting operation, called sympathectomy, is to dilate arteries that have been stopped. 2002 Nature Neurosci. 5 861 Gross trauma was minimized (by a nerve-crushing rather than nerve-cutting procedure). nerve-stretching n. ΚΠ 1878 T. Sinclair Mount 152 Their high art is nerve stretching, a kind of spiritual melodramaticism. 1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. xxvi. 421 Nerve stretching..has been strongly advocated..for the cure of leprous neuralgia. 1986 R. H. Coombs et al. Inside Doctoring i. ii. 134 I figured it was just mild phrenic nerve stretching caused by really expanding my lungs..as I was running hard. (b) nerve-destroying adj. ΚΠ 1825 Duties of Lady's Maid 31-32 Up from your nerve-destroying bed, and from the foul air pent within your close drawn curtains. 1874 J. W. Long Amer. Wild-fowl Shooting 31 They must consequently have greater bone-smashing and nerve-destroying effects. 1992 Time 6 Jan. 38/1 It was always that white-knuckle, fingernail-biting, nerve-destroying kind of situation. † nerve-dissolving adj. Obsolete ΚΠ 1842 Ld. Tennyson Vision of Sin in Poems (new ed.) II. 215 The nerve-dissolving melody Flutter'd headlong from the sky. a1861 D. Grey Poet. Wks. (1874) 39 At the breathless nerve-dissolving noon, When hot the undiminished sun downthrows Direct his beams, they from the field retire. nerve-irritating adj. ΚΠ 1878 H. S. Wilson Alpine Ascents 135 I tried experiments to see how long I could bear..a fly crawling down my nose; and I improved..in the valuable power of bearing this nerve-irritating performance. 1988 R. Pochaczevsky in M. E. Kricun Imaging Modalities Spinal Disorders 628/1 Thermography is indicated as a useful screening procedure whenever a patient is suspected of having nerve root compression syndromes or nerve irritating disorders. 2005 G. D. Kramer & S. A. Darby Basic & Clin. Anat. of Spine, Spinal Cord, & ANS (ed. 2) ii. 48/2 Leakage of nerve irritating (histamine-like) molecules from disrupted IVDs also has been found to be a cause of irritation to the exiting dorsal root. nerve-jangling adj. ΚΠ 1899 Quartier Latin Feb. 336 There was something repressed..in her appearance..; something that promised immunity from nerve-jangling outbreaks and womanish tears. 1959 Life 20 July 1 (advt.) Take Bufferin, the modern pain remedy. It contains no nerve-jangling, sleep-disturbing caffeine. 2014 S. Gibbs Poached xv. 225 He let out a nerve-jangling scream that made all of us leap out of our seats. nerve-lacerating adj. ΚΠ 1774 Crit. Rev. June 465 He is drove by the iron heart devoid of feeling, and goaded by the nerve-lacerating lash of cruelty. 1843 J. Abbott Narr. Journ. Heraut to Khiva, Moscow & St. Petersburgh II. xxxvi. 108 Dancing..has degenerated into a mere exposition of the chaos, produced by the awkward and unmeaning ambles of heavy-heeled bipeds, convulsed by nerve-lacerating sounds. 1911 W. Owen Let. 17 Sept. (1967) 83 The nerve-lacerating speech of the pompous vigilator. 2017 C. Parry Other Animals 21st Cent. Fiction iii. 102 The exquisitely bone-sawing, nerve-lacerating violins of Hiroshima may be apprehended in the body rather than just heard in the ears and interpreted in the mind. nerve-racking adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious > causing acute anxiety nerve-racking1812 nerve-wracking1909 1812 P. B. Shelley Let. 27 Dec. (1964) I. 347 My removal from your nerve racking & spirit quelling metropolis. 1895 Scribner's Mag. Feb. 174 The minutes slowly passed, then a spark winked like a firefly half-way up the mesa..then the nerve-racking silence again. 1989 T. Kidder Among Schoolchildren vi. ii. 215 The situation was manageable, if a little nerve-racking. 2010 N. Southorn Student's Compan. Physiotherapy xiv. 158 Awaiting the results in your final year is probably the most nerve-racking thing you have done in a while. nerve-relaxing adj. ΚΠ 1763 T. Wharton Coll. Poems 261 Each morn regale on nerve-relaxing tea. 1819 R. Sears Poem Mineral Waters Ballston & Saratoga 14 Of nerve relaxing heat these Springs supply A kind restorative, not known elsewhere. 1929 Travel Nov. 48 (advt.) Invest in the sun..and draw nerve-relaxing, joy-inspiring dividends for all the rest of the year. 2001 M. Stengler Nat. Physician's Healing Therapies 100/1 The nerve-relaxing properties of chamomile make it a popular herb for anxiety. nerve-rending adj. ΚΠ 1835 F. W. Thomas Clinton Bradshaw I. x. 132 Now comes on a second trial, as nerve-rending as the first. 1897 Month Oct. 374 The next nerve-rending sound which might occur. 1955 A. MacLean H.M.S. Ulysses xvii. 303 Nothing quite so nerve-rending..as the sight and sound as those Junkers..in the last seconds before they pulled out of their dive. nerve-shaking adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > [adjective] > unnerving or upsetting unnerving1722 nerve-shaking1820 unstringing1824 1820 J. Keats Let. ?Feb. (1958) II. 262 The medicine I am at present taking..is of a nerve-shaking nature. 1986 19th-cent. Lit. 41 370 The discussion of that novel concentrates on two scenes..that Howells..said he found nerve-shaking to read. nerve-shattering adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > state of being shocked > [adjective] > shocking execrable1490 perculsive1609 shocking1703 nerve-shattering1840 eyewatering1950 traumatic1962 1840 T. De Quincey Tait's Edinb. Mag. June 350/1 Resting from his mighty labours and nerve-shattering perils. 1990 ‘M. Caine’ Coward's Chron. (BNC) 79 The day was spent in frantic dashes, nerve-shattering band calls, fraught costume fittings and infuriating sound checks. † nerve-stretching adj. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1652 E. Benlowes Theophila i. xcvi. 13 Nerve-stretching Muse, thy Bow's new strung. nerve-testing adj. ΚΠ 1877 Harper's Mag. May 824 A bear hunt of this kind is full of adventure... you are sure..of a sinew-testing chase and a nerve-testing struggle at the end. 1973 D. Francis Slay-ride vii. 80 A nerve-testing isolation. nerve-trying adj. ΚΠ 1850 R. S. Surtees Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour xxxii, in New Monthly Mag. Jan. 109 The more nerve-trying noise of a floundering stumble over a heap of stones. 1914 T. A. Baggs Back fr. Front 79 There were other nerve-trying scenes before as in Rouen. 1934 G. A. Reichard Spider Woman (1997) xxiv. 203 The satisfaction lies..in having carried out a complicated, fatiguing, nerve-trying ritual to its prescribed end. nerve-wracking adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious > causing acute anxiety nerve-racking1812 nerve-wracking1909 1909 Daily Chron. 9 Feb. 5/1 Despite his nerve-wracking experience, he had the courage to endeavour to return to search for him. 1982 Sydney Morning Herald 10 July 12/3 Going down an aisle in front of about thirteen hundred people, including photographers and TV cameras, which would be a very nerve-wracking experience. (c) nerve-wrackingly adv. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adverb] > causing acute anxiety nerve-wrackingly1963 1963 A. Ross Australia 63 i. 42 The handsome and the hazardous were jostling nerve-wrackingly together. c. Instrumental. nerve-drawn adj. ΚΠ 1937 V. Woolf Years 388 A queer face; knit up; nerve-drawn; fixed. nerve-racked adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious nerve-racked1827 nerve-wracked1911 1827 R. M. Beverley Jubal 157 Do not all thy kind Dream such vagaries when the nerve-racked brain Lifts them on Fancy's wings to heaven, or down To hell? 1893 Overland Monthly Dec. 604 Heart-sick, brain-tired, nerve-racked soul. 1918 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 29 59 That an exhausted and nerve-racked sufferer..should think of those around as silently criticising his irrational cowardice. 2017 T. Peake North Facing i. 3 It was only at the end of a long, nerve-racked week..that Bentley major..had put a stop to Paul's covert nightly sobbing by naming du Toit as the culprit. nerve-ridden adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > [adjective] > nervous or easily agitated agitable1603 wincing1603 nervous1740 nervo-sanguineous1807 alarmable1813 intense1817 tense1821 finely-strung1841 flutterable1891 nerve-ridden1892 shockable1893 the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [adjective] > nervous > in a state of nervous excitement high-strung1653 tense1821 jumpy1879 nerve-ridden1892 geeked1989 1892 E. Lawless Grania II. 7 He..seemed to be even more nerve-ridden than usual. 1997 J. Noon Nymphomation (1998) 160 Old Joe Crocus making his rounds, pent-up, nerve-ridden, sharp-edged with need. nerve-shaken adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [adjective] > nervous nervous1740 nerve-shaken1818 twitchety1859 nervy1873 trepidatious1904 all of a wonk1918 spooky1926 squirrelly1928 jittery1931 spooked1937 hinky1956 psyched1961 nattery1966 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian i, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 9 Men whose spirits..are nerve-shaken, timorous, and unenterprising. 1898 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 15 Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to ding out that going to the mountains is going home. 1936 R. C. K. Ensor England, 1870–1914 i. 19 The majority at Westminster remained, though nerve-shaken by adverse by-elections. nerve-shattered adj. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > weariness or exhaustion > [adjective] > specific mentally or emotionally used up1835 brain-fagged1869 overthoughted1877 nerve-shattered1888 1888 Cent. Mag. Aug. 635 It becomes the Elysium of the pill-taker, the Paradise of the headache fancier, the Nirvana of the nerve-shattered dyspeptic and rheumatic. 1975 C. Dennis Somebody just grabbed Annie! 195 Close-up of a nerve-shattered Ilima. nerve-worn adj. ΚΠ 1792 J. Byng Diary May in Torrington Diaries (1936) III. 5 I will not accord to the unnatural hours. Nerve-worn, and with reason, I must..take the field. 1858 H. T. Cheever Pulpit & Pew xx. 303 And through the goodness of God I have come off safe and sound, though nerve-worn and weary. 1922 D. H. Lawrence Let. 15 May (1932) 547 In many ways it [sc. Australia] is older: more nerve-worn. 2005 D. K. Goodwin Team of Rivals xiv. 378 To the nerve-worn residents of Washington, McClellan seemed ‘the man on horseback’, just the leader to mold the disorganized Union troops into a disciplined army. nerve-wracked adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [adjective] > acutely anxious nerve-racked1827 nerve-wracked1911 1911 E. Pound Canzoni 46 How our modernity, Nerve-wracked and broken, turns Against time's way. 1975 J. Rosenthal Evacuees in Bar Mitzvah Boy & Other Television Plays (1987) 140 Danny, Neville, Sarah and Grandma are now all sitting with saucepans on their heads—and all a little nerve-wracked. C2. nerve agent n. a substance that alters the functioning of the nervous system, typically inhibiting neurotransmission; esp. one used as a weapon, a nerve gas. ΚΠ 1960 ABC Warfare Defense (U.S. Bureau Naval Personnel) iii. 38/2 The nerve agents represent the most recent development in offensive chemical warfare. 1980 Sci. Amer. Apr. 35/3 Modern lethal chemical weapons are based on organophosphorus compounds known as nerve gases or nerve agents. 1993 Pop. Sci. June 29/1 The skin and feathers of the hooded pitohui and two related species contain a nasty nerve agent called homobatrachotoxin. 1995 Guardian 21 Mar. 3/2 Sarin, like the other nerve agents tabun, soman and VX, kills by blocking the action of an enzyme which removes acetylcholine, the chemical that transmits signals down the nervous system. nerve block n. Medicine injection of a local anaesthetic into or around a nerve, to produce regional anaesthesia; an instance of this. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > anaesthetization, pain-killing, etc. > [noun] > anaesthetization > by blocking nerves nerve-blocking1906 nerve block1912 field block1922 spinal block1928 saddle block1946 1912 Jrnl. Laryngol., Rhinol., & Otol. 27 525 Certain anæsthetic agents, such as cocaine, novocaine, and eucaine, when brought into contact with nerve-fibres, penetrate to their axis-cylinders and induce what is known as physiological section of the nerve, or nerve-block. 1941 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. 32 69 The simplest explanation of the blindness [due to pressure] is that the stoppage of circulation produces retinal anoxia and nerve-block, probably in the ganglionic layers. 1970 W. H. Parker Health & Dis. Farm Animals viii. 94 Dehorning is the removal of horns already in existence on older cattle, essentially a veterinarian's job involving nerve block anaesthesia. 1992 New Scientist 21 Mar. 31/2 Local nerve blocks of this kind (such as arm blocks and epidurals) which can render parts of the body numb, are growing in popularity among anaesthetists. nerve-blocking adj. Medicine that creates a nerve block; that prevents neurotransmission. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > anaesthetization, pain-killing, etc. > [noun] > anaesthetization > by blocking nerves nerve-blocking1906 nerve block1912 field block1922 spinal block1928 saddle block1946 1906 J. M. Patton Anaesthesia & Anaesthetics (ed. 2) xvii. 208 Bodine sees no reason why all major surgery should not be done by Corning's nerve-blocking method of injecting directly into the nerves supplying the limb. 1972 Jrnl. Pharmacol. & Exper. Therapeutics 182 442/1 The nerve blocking action of the insecticide, allethrin, is unique in the sense that it is highly dependent on temperature. nerve canal n. Anatomy a bony canal, esp. of the skull, containing a nerve. ΚΠ 1870 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 160 555 The tuberosity..is..anterior to the posterior outlet of the intervertebral nerve-canal. 1975 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. 48 170 Erosion was so severe as to involve the facial nerve canal in one [case]. 1995 J. Shreeve Neandertal Enigma (1996) v. 126 One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. nerve cavity n. rare the pulp cavity of a tooth; (also) a bony cavity containing a nerve. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > substance or parts of teeth > [noun] > pulp-cavity pulp cavity1840 nerve cavity1845 pulp canal1845 root canal1864 pulp chamber1872 1845 C. A. Harris Princ. & Pract. Dental Surg. (ed. 2) vi. i. 538 Their [sc. the teeth of cattle] nerve cavities are so large, that by the time they are reduced to the size of the incisors, they become exposed. 1976 Pesticides Abstr. (U.S. Environm. Protection Agency) Sept. 642/1 When examined 48 hr after administration no necrosis of nerve cells was seen along the nerve cavity. 2006 Drum (Johannesburg) 16 Nov. 45/2 Root canal treatment..involves the removal of the contents of the nerve cavity of the tooth, which houses the blood vessels that transport nutrients to the tooth. nerve cell n. Anatomy †(a) the cell body of a neuron (obsolete); (b) a neuron. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell nerve cell1840 neurocyte1890 neuron1891 1840 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 130 608 (note) The primary nerve-cells have not been with certainty observed. 1858 G. H. Lewes Let. 19 July in G. S. Haight George Eliot Lett. (1954) II. 469 It was so very amusing to find myself thinking of ‘nerve cells’ amid the grand mountains, and of physiological processes on the shores of a lake. 1893 Brain 16 135 It will therefore be understood that by the term ‘nerve-cell’ I shall denote not only, as has hitherto for the most part been the case, the body of the cell as the part immediately enclosing the nucleus, but all the several processes of the cell. 1943 O. S. Strong & A. Elwyn Human Neuroanat. iii. 28/1 The significance of the Nissl stain..lies in the fact that..each type of nerve cell always presents the same appearance. 1984 J. F. Lamb et al. Essent. Physiol. (ed. 2) ix. 229 Nerve cells or neurones are specialised for receiving and transmitting electrical signals. nerve centre n. (a) Anatomy and Zoology, a ganglion (group of nerve cell bodies); (also) a region of the nervous system controlling a specific function; (b) (figurative) a centre of information flow or control. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve cell > groups of touch body1853 touch corpuscle1856 nerve centre1870 paraganglion1907 the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > [noun] > grey matter > nerve centre ganglion1805 centre1809 nerve bulb1862 nerve centre1870 the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > position of being in the midst > point which forms centre for its surroundings > centre of activity, operations, etc. metropolis1599 metropolitana1620 focus1796 foyer1799 nerve-knot1832 hub1858 nerve centre1870 storm centre1894 nexus1971 1870 H. Spencer Princ. Psychol. (ed. 2) I. i. ii. 27 A mass of grey matter with imbedded vesicles—a nerve-centre or ganglion. 1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. ci. 418 Wall Street is the great nerve centre of all American business. 1931 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 17 239 Do these substances so introduced act peripherally..or do they act directly upon subependymal and diencephalic nerve centers? 2001 Smarthouse Feb. 24/1 The communications cabinet on the wall of the cupboard on the first floor landing is the nerve centre for 3,000 metres of cable. nerve collar n. Zoology = nerve ring n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > nerves forming ring mouth ring1839 nerve ring1849 nerve collar1874 1874 Amer. Naturalist 8 45 The nervous system of the worms consists of a nerve collar from which start two parallel chains of ganglia. 1946 Q. Rev. Biol. 21 349 In the annelids, in common with the other jointed invertebrates, the oesophagus is surrounded by a complete nerve ring or nerve collar. nerve cord n. Anatomy and Zoology a nerve; (later) spec. a nerve forming the main axis, or a principal branch of the main axis, of a nervous system, esp. in invertebrates. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1864 Continental Monthly Nov. 531/2 Electricity..is the source of light and heat, as well as the connecting link, through our electric nerve cords. 1871 Proc. Royal Soc. 1870–71 19 313 The languor and weakness are due..to suboxidation of the blood, which impairs the activity not only of the muscles, but of the nerve-centres which originate, and nerve-cords which transmit motor and sensory impressions. 1914 E. W. MacBride Text-bk. Embryol. I. viii. 254 The epineural sinus..derives its name from the circumstance that it lies above the rudiments of the ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. 1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) i. 3 Invertebrate nerve cords are generally solid masses of nerve fibers (and supporting cells) running between equally solid clusters of nerve cells. nerve current n. Physiology a nerve impulse. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve impulse vibration1728 nerve current1859 nerve impulse1870 summation1872 message1884 wave of stimulation1885 pattern1930 1859 Proc. Royal Soc. 1857–9 9 694 The nerve-current agrees with the muscular current in exhibiting a positive loss of force during muscular contraction. 1879 Mind 4 317 All feeling whatever..seems to depend for its physical condition not on simple discharge of nerve-currents, but on their discharge under arrest, impediment or resistance. 1951 J. M. Fraser Psychol. ii. 13 These cells..send a nerve-current along the olfactory nerve to the brain. 1995 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 309 76 The peroneal nerve current perception threshold was higher..in patients in the foot ulcer group. nerve deafness n. sensorineural deafness. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of ear > disordered hearing > [noun] > deafness > types of deafness throat deafness1840 nerve deafness1886 surdism1898 1886 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. I. 299 Deafness, having the characters of nerve-deafness, is met with in some cases. 1968 Brain 91 242 Lathyrism is usually a purely pyramidal disorder without optic atrophy or nerve deafness. 1992 Independent 8 Dec. 12/5 I had suffered sudden hearing loss, technically known as nerve deafness. nerve doctor n. chiefly euphemistic a psychiatrist or psychoanalyst. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > healer > specialist > [noun] > nerves neurotomist1726 nerve specialist1889 nerve doctor1892 neuroradiologist1955 1892 W. James Coll. Ess. & Rev. (1920) 327 The men who care little or nothing for ultimate rationality, the biologists, nerve-doctors, and psychical researchers. 1984 Times 19 May 10/5 She was described as suffering with her nerves and had..been referred to a ‘Nerve doctor’..a euphemism for a psychiatrist. nerve end n. = nerve ending n.; also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending nerve end1865 nerve ending1868 synaptosome1964 1865 Proc. Royal Soc. 14 247 In no case are there nerve-ends, but always plexuses or networks. 1953 R. Lehmann Echoing Grove 159 In the silence Dinah's nerve ends crept, contracted, listening for the guns, the sirens. 1992 Playboy Oct. 100/1 He was revved up.., nerve ends waving in the psychic breeze, eyeballs scanning the room in a ‘What have we got to work with here?’ mode. nerve ending n. Anatomy any of the specialized terminal portions of a dendrite or axon. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending nerve end1865 nerve ending1868 synaptosome1964 1868 N. Porter Human Intellect 149 This sensorium is known to the soul not as a collection of nerve-endings or nerve-expansions. 1937 L. V. Heilbrunn Outl. Gen. Physiol. xl. 506 In man and mammals, in addition to ordinary free nerve endings, special types of tangoreceptors are found in the skin and in the viscera. 1993 Independent 11 Jan. 13/7 Botulinum A toxin..works by stopping nerve endings releasing acetylcholine, a chemical that communicates with other nerve endings. nerve excitation n. Physiology the process by which nerve impulses are initiated or propagated. ΚΠ 1855 Q. Rev. 96 110 There is already a mind to attend to the nerve excitation. 1968 I. Tasaki (title) Nerve excitation: a macromolecular approach. 1992 Q. Rev. Biol. 67 523/1 The third chapter delves into membranes along with their structures and applications..ranging from passive and active transport to nerve excitation. nerve fibre n. Anatomy a process of a neuron, esp. an axon with its neurilemma. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre nerve1839 nerve fibre1839 nerve tube1839 nerve tubule1849 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 592/1 Remak and others describe three distinct parts in the nerve fibre. 1872 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (ed. 6) 212 Every fraction of a tone..is represented by its separate nerve-fibre. 1940 R. S. Woodworth Psychol. (ed. 12) xii. 419 These nerves are composed of extra-slender nerve fibres, which grow out from cells in the brain stem and cord. 1992 N.Y. Times 4 Aug. c8/2 That generous pinch of cayenne that gave the marinade its special kick is irritating sensory nerve fibers in the tongue and nose. nerve food n. a preparation supposed to aid or improve the functioning of nerves. ΚΠ 1881 Science 8 Jan. (front matter) (advt.) Brain and nerve food. Composed of the vital or nerve-giving principles of the ox-brain and wheat-germ. 1900 Harper's Weekly 24 Mar. 282 (advt.) Locomotor Ataxia conquered at last. Specialists amazed at recovery of patients thought incurable by Dr.Chase's Blood and Nerve Food. 1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise i. 16 Do they think people buy nerve-food for the sake of the bottle? nerve force n. now historical power ascribed to nerves; neuroelectric activity; an instance of this. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] innervation1832 nervism1837 nerve force1850 nervation1851 neurility1860 neuricity1866 neurism1873 tonus1902 gamone1942 1850 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 140 740 The production of nerve-force in the central organs is dependent upon the development of the peculiar cells constituting the ganglionic or vesicular substance. 1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith ii. 83 When the nerve force ceases to act, all manifestation of the presence of mind ceases. 1914 Practitioner June 831 The chemical generation of nerve force (neuro-electricity) in the human body. 1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise viii. 131 He scribbled desperately, trying to save a letter here and there. ‘Nervous force’? ‘Nerve-force’? ‘Nerve-power’? 1994 Isis 85 215 The theories behind chiropractic and neurasthenia shared the assumption that disturbances of nerve force were critical determinants of disease. nerve gas n. a toxic substance in the form of a vapour or gas that disables or kills by interfering with neurotransmission. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > poison > [noun] > poisonous gas > nerve gas nerve gas1940 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > gas poison gas1816 gas1897 mustard gas1917 tear-gas1917 yperite1917 mustard1918 phosgene1918 riot gas1930 war gas1934 nausea gas1936 nerve gas1940 tear-smoke1946 Sarin1951 Soman1951 pepper gas1968 stun gas1968 pepper spray1986 1940 Sun (Baltimore) 13 May 1/5 A specialist in nervous diseases and a chemist..said tonight that a ‘nerve gas’, reported possibly used by the Nazis..was ‘entirely within the range of possibility’. 1968 Observer 16 June 9/1 The nerve gases are liquids which are most lethal when inhaled as fine droplets, but can also be absorbed through the skin. 2001 Time 8 Oct. 43/1 Chemical weapons such as the nerve gases sarin and VX are relatively easy to acquire and stockpile. nerve glue n. Anatomy rare neuroglia. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > types of touch cell1878 nerve glue1879 nerve tunic1881 neuroepithelium1889 1879 H. Calderwood Relations Mind & Brain ii. 25 The cells are packed together in a glutinous substance, which Virchow has named nerve-glue. 1983 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 301 57 The discovery of the neuroglia (‘nerve glue’) dates back to the middle of the 19th century. nerve growth factor n. (a) a polypeptide consisting in its active form of two identical chains of 120 amino acids, which is produced normally by neurons, Schwann cells, glial cells, and various types of epithelial and connective tissue cells, and promotes the growth of (esp. sensory and sympathetic) neurons and neurites, and also has certain modulatory effects on the immune system (abbreviated NGF); (b) any of various other polypeptides that promote the growth and maintenance of neurons. ΚΠ 1954 S. Cohen et al. in Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 40 1014 (title) A nerve growth-stimulating factor isolated from sarcomas 37 and 180.] 1958 Science 12 Sept. 602/2 A study of the formation of nerve fibers by tissue-cultured cells under the influence of the nerve-growth factor. 1994 N.Y. Times 8 Mar. c3/5 The hormone [sc. estrogen] could exert its influence by making neurons more sensitive to the stimulus of nerve growth factor. 1997 New Scientist 31 May 18/1 They then used antibodies to selectively switch off two nerve growth factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotropin-3 (NT-3), in the tissue. nerve impulse n. Physiology an electrical signal transmitted along a nerve fibre; an action potential. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve impulse vibration1728 nerve current1859 nerve impulse1870 summation1872 message1884 wave of stimulation1885 pattern1930 1870 Littell's Living Age 3 Dec. 636/2 A sinister and gruesome suggestion that the movements within ourselves which we think spiritual..are mere nerve-impulses produced by the fantastic motion of certain granules. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 512 A feature of the concatenations of neurons more probably explicative of modification and delay of nerve impulses is the synapse. 1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. v. 123 (caption) Diagram to illustrate the course of nerve-impulses concerned in a spinal reflex. 1997 R. Porter Greatest Benefit to Mankind xi. 338 Curare worked only where a nerve met the muscle on which it acted, causing paralysis by preventing the nerve impulse from making the muscle contract. nerve instrument n. Dentistry any of various instruments used to treat the pulp cavity. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > dentistry > [noun] > other dental equipment explorer1844 plate1845 rose head1847 plugging forceps1861 plugger1862 rubber dam1865 finger mirror1867 nerve instrument1867 hoe1875 saliva extractor1877 thimble1877 finger-tray1878 scaler1881 matrix1883 saliva ejectora1884 sickle scaler1930 1867 Catal. Dental Materials, Furnit., Instruments for Sale by S. S. White 1 Jan. 72 (advt.) Dr. Corydon Palmer's Nerve Instruments... The set consists of 21 Instruments. 1893 Official Catal. Brit. Sect. Chicago Exhib. 372 Instruments of all kinds used by dentists, including extracting forceps, sealers, enamel cutters, nerve instruments, burring engines, [etc.]. 1932 Pilling Instrum. & Equipm. Surgeons & Hospitals 225 Brain and Nerve Instruments. nerve-knot n. Anatomy (now rare) a ganglion; also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ganglion ganglion1698 lenticular ganglion1793 nerve-knot1832 Casserian (or Gasserian) ganglion1842 station1855 nerve ganglion1870 the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > position of being in the midst > point which forms centre for its surroundings > centre of activity, operations, etc. metropolis1599 metropolitana1620 focus1796 foyer1799 nerve-knot1832 hub1858 nerve centre1870 storm centre1894 nexus1971 1832 J. Rennie Alphabet of Insects 76 The fibres or threads of the nerves which join such a nerve-knot or ganglion, become twisted within it,..into a bundle. 1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge I. ix. 113 Casterbridge was..but the pole, focus, or nerve-knot of the surrounding country life. 1954 O. H. K. Spate & B. H. Farmer India & Pakistan iv. xxvi. 774 Kandy is the nerve-knot of its basin, and had a population of 51,266 in 1946. 1995 J. Peel Maniac 173 She started to get out of bed, but pain stabbed through her right leg. That evil nerve knot! nerve needle n. Dentistry an instrument for cleaning out the pulp cavity of a tooth. ΚΠ 1861 Dental Reg. West 15 363 After with fine French nerve needles, with delicately barbed points, remove the entire nerve. 1986 Explanatory Notes Harmonized Commodity Descr. & Coding Syst. IV. xviii. xc. 1490 Instruments for nerve treatment (nerve broaches and other extractors, nerve hooks, nerve needles, nerve seekers, etc.). 2016 A. M. Dryden & B. C. H. Tsui in B. C. H. Tsui & S. Suresh Pediatric Atlas Ultrasound- & Nerve Stimulation-guided Regional Anesthesia viii. 120/2 Nerve stimulation: use accurate nerve stimulators and insulated nerve needles. nerve net n. Zoology a diffuse network of neurons found in cnidarians, flatworms, and certain other invertebrates, which transmits impulses in all directions from a point of stimulation. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > network of nerves nerve net1904 1904 C. S. Sherrington in Nature 8 Sept. 460/1 We can distinguish two main types of [nervous] system according to the mode of union of the conductors.—(i.) the nerve-net system, such as met in Medusa and in the walls of viscera, and (ii.) the synaptic system, such as the cerebro-spinal system of Arthropods and Vertebrates. 1942 O. Larsell Anat. Nerv. Syst. i. 3 The older view of the nerve net as a conduction apparatus for diffusing nerve impulses by protoplasmic continuity of the nerve cell processes has largely yielded to the conception of a synaptic system, even in coelenterates. 1987 M. S. Laverack & J. Dando Lect. Notes Invertebr. Zool. (ed. 3) xxvii. 159/1 The epidermal nerve net conducts equally and decrementally in all directions. 2002 R. Chase Behavior & Neural Control Gastropod Molluscs iv. 59 The term ‘nerve net’..denotes a specific type of plexus, namely, a system of neurons dispersed in a plane and connected by fusion or synapses. † nerve oil n. Obsolete an oil applied topically as a treatment for strained tendons (cf. nerval n.). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > preparations for treating specific parts > [noun] > for the sinews nerval?c1450 nerve oil1592 the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines of specific form > ointments, etc. > [noun] > ointment > specific eye salveeOE diachylon1313 populeona1398 euphorbinec1400 marciaton?a1425 nerval?c1450 basilicon?1541 pilgrim-salvec1580 nerve oil1592 apostles' ointment1721 blue ointment1721 yellow basilicon1746 Kalydor1824 blue butter1838 Holloway's ointment1838 lip balm1853 chapstick1891 wool-wax1911 barrier cream1950 1592 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 139 iij li. nervoyll xviijd. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 355 Annoint his body all ouer with Narueoile. 1665 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 139 Nirve oyle for the sorrold horse iijd. 1796 Sporting Mag. Nov. 80/2 An ointment for a shoulder sprain. Take nerve oil and hog's lard, of each a quarter of a pound. 1846 A. J. Cooley Cycl. Pract. Receipts 445/1 Oil, Neat's foot. (Nerve oil. Trotter's do. Ol. nervinum. Auxungia pedum tauri.) From neat's feet and tripe by boiling; does not harden by age. † nerve-paste n. Dentistry Obsolete rare a paste containing arsenic, used to kill the nerve of a tooth. ΚΠ 1890 Cent. Dict. Nerve-paste, a mixture of arsenic (generally with creosote or morphine) used to kill the nerve of a tooth. nerve path n. Physiology = nerve pathway n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve-path nerve path1867 brain path1877 nerve route1879 path1881 pathway1885 1867 Brit. & Foreign Medico-chirurg. Rev. 40 245 It does show that centripetally coursing fibres in different nerve-paths may unite under appropriate conditions, and that sensations can thus be conducted to the cerebrum. 1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. vi. 65 The secretions of ovaries pick out and bring into action the nerve-paths appropriate to females, those of testes the paths appropriate to males. 1990 Jrnl. Hand Surg. 15A 352 A series of 58 wrist dissections revealed a 22.4% incidence of anomalous muscles and a 1.7% incidence of anomalous nerve paths. 2011 J. Greening & A. Dilley in C. F. de las Peñas et al. Neck & Arm Pain Syndromes xxxvii. 478/1 When the nerve path is shortened, peripheral nerves will become slack and are said to be unloaded. nerve pathway n. Physiology the route taken by a nerve impulse through the nervous system. ΚΠ 1878 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 504 The external layer of the body..became infolded, and the nerve-pathways were brought into relationship with the nerve-centres thus formed. 1909 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 81 157 It [sc. the atrio-ventricular bundle] might become conspicuously a nerve pathway of very intricate structure. 1972 D. R. Kenshalo in J. W. Kling & L. A. Riggs Woodworth & Schlosberg's Exper. Psychol. (ed. 3) v. 119/1 If we insist that each primary sensory modality has its own nerve pathway, the tactile, pain, and temperature senses fail to qualify as different modalities because their nerves are intermingled. 1995 New Scientist 28 Oct. 46/2 Totally gone were the nerve pathways for proprioception, the ‘sixth’ sense that gives us a feeling for where we are, the orientation of our body in Euclidean space. nerve patient n. now historical a patient suffering from a psychological or psychiatric disorder. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of nervous system > [noun] > person nerve patient1900 1900 Speaker 20 Jan. 420/1 He will tell you in more or less sweeping fashion that the average nerve-patient wants beating soundly. 1999 W. Graham Henry James's Thwarted Love iv. 162 Dr. Beard..pleads with his colleagues to overcome their antipathy to nerve patients, to recognize that mental and psychosomatic illnesses are every bit as painful as other maladies. nerve physiologist n. rare = neurophysiologist n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > study of body > study of nervous system > [noun] > person neurotomist1726 neurologist1832 nerve physiologist1890 neuroanatomist1919 neurophysiologist1936 neuroradiologist1955 neuroendocrinologist1957 neuroscientist1964 1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. i. 5 In still another way the psychologist is forced to be something of a nerve-physiologist. 1964 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 52 1144 Nerve physiologists holding the belief that the external connective tissue sheath has a high electrical resistance might be inclined to argue. 2004 D. G. Mook Classic Exper. in Psychol. iii. 39 He [sc. von Helmholtz] towered over the middle-to-late nineteenth century as a physicist, physician, optician, acoustician, mathematician, nerve physiologist, muscle physiologist, metabolic physiologist, philosopher, and lecturer on popular science. nerve physiology n. = neurophysiology n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > study of body > study of nervous system > [noun] neurology1670 neurography1738 nerve physiology1845 neurophysiology1859 neuromyologya1890 neuroanatomy1900 neuroendocrinology1922 neuroscience1944 neurochemistry1945 synaptology1962 psychoneuroendocrinology1970 connectomics2007 1845 Brit. & Foreign Med. Rev. 19 575 The publication of the collected observations of MM. Matteucci and Savi is an important fact in this year's history of the progress of nerve physiology. 1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. ii. 23 The conception of all action as conforming to this type [sc. reflex] is the fundamental conception of modern nerve-physiology. 1927 J. S. Huxley Relig. without Revelation iv. 135 How, precisely, these experiences are generated, psychology and nerve-physiology must learn and tell us. 1989 Thorax 44 292 Studies of nerve physiology showed abnormalities in the lower limbs of all four patients. 2004 L. Weiss et al. Easy EMG iv. 17 When doing nerve conduction studies it is important to understand nerve physiology. nerve plate n. †(a) the nerve cord of the collar of a hemichordate (obsolete rare); (b) Embryology = neural plate n. (b) at neural adj. and n. Compounds. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > ending > parts or types of Pacinian corpuscle1854 Meissner corpuscle1884 nerve plate1888 Vater's corpuscle1951 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 187/1 Strands connecting dorsal nerve-plate with outer wall of collar. 1934 Discovery Aug. 220/1 The nerve plate (the rudiment of the brain and spinal cord). 1981 A. G. Brown Organization of Spinal Cord iv. 48 (caption) B shows the structure of a tactile cell and its nerve plate as seen in electron microscope preparations. nerve poison n. a naturally occurring or synthetic substance that disrupts the functioning of the nervous system; a neurotoxin, nerve agent, or nerve gas. ΚΠ 1848 C. H. Meeker tr. ‘J. H. Rausse’ Misc. Graefenberg Water-cure 191 These pernicious substances [sc. tobacco and alcohol] are, indeed, much less injurious than the most nerve-poisoning medicaments, but still they are, by all means, injurious to the stomach and nerves.] 1856 R. Thompson Treat. Fever i. 57 The remote cause of these diseases, whether animacule or gaseous, is of the nature of a narcotic stimulant or nerve poison. 1868 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 295/2 Nerve poisons may very well be represented by the most famous of them all,—the well-known woorara, or wourali, of South America. 1941 Sci. Monthly Oct. 376/1 As a poison, a gas is usually classified as either one of five: Lachrimator or tear gas, sternutator or sneeze-producer, Lung injurant, vesicant or blister-producer, and nerve poison. 2004 J. Stenersen Chem. Pesticides vi. 115 This extremely potent nerve poison also blocks the voltage-activated sodium channels. nerve ring n. Zoology a ring of nerves and ganglia encircling the pharynx in various invertebrates. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > constituent materials > [noun] > nerves forming ring mouth ring1839 nerve ring1849 nerve collar1874 1849 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 139 335 Close round this opening are placed the nerve-loops of the neck, and a nerve-ring appears to encircle it as a ganglion. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiv. 354 The spider's nervous system is of the type found in other Arthropods. That is to say, there is a dorsal brain, connected by a nerve-ring round the gullet with the ventral centres or nerve-ganglia. 1995 C. Nielsen Animal Evol. viii. 55 The nervous system is intraepithelial, forming nerve nets which may be concentrated in nerve rings in both polyps and medusae and in ganglia in scyphomedusae. nerve route n. [after German Nervenbahn (1888)] Physiology = nerve pathway n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > nerve-path nerve path1867 brain path1877 nerve route1879 path1881 pathway1885 1879 Littell's Living Age 13 Dec. 6532 Such a result would obviously be a very natural consequence if different nerve-routes were employed for the transmission of the vibrations of different colours. 1890 A. Hill tr. H. Obersteiner Anat. Central Nerv. Organs 162 One must be very careful in assigning an object to nerve-routes, especially when they exceed an internode..in length. 1933 A. N. Whitehead Adventures of Ideas xiv. 276 Also incipient sense-percepta may be forming themselves in the nerve-routes. 1998 M. B. A. Oldstone Viruses, Plagues, & Hist. ii. vii. 105 Once the virus multiplies sufficiently in lymphoid tissues of the gut and pharynx, it travels into the blood and probably through nerve routes to reach the central nervous system. nerve sheath n. Anatomy (a) a perineurium or endoneurium; (b) a neurilemma. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > outer sheath neurilema1813 nerve sheath1839 neurolemma1852 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 593/1 Bound together by fibrous membrane, the nerve-sheath. 1935 Amer. Jrnl. Cancer 24 751 Neurinoma is the term most widely used,..but there is the insuperable objection to it that it means ‘nerve fiber tumor’. Whatever else..all authorities are convinced that this is not a nerve fiber tumor but a nerve sheath tumor. 1984 J. R. Tighe & D. R. Davies Pathol. (ed. 4) iii. 17 Axon regrowth..requires a viable cell body and a nerve sheath. 1990 P. Armstrong in P. Armstrong et al. Imaging Dis. of Chest xv. 753/2 Malignant nerve sheath tumors are infrequent. nerve-sick n. and adj. (a) n. people with nervous disorders, viewed collectively; (b) adj. suffering from a nervous disorder; anxious or highly strung. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of nervous system > [adjective] > suffering from nerve-sick1854 1854 New Illustr. Hydropathic Q. Rev. No. 3 in Water-cure Jrnl. (N.Y.) June 144/2 (advt.) Ludicrous Ideas of the Nerve-sick. 1903 E. Childers Riddle of Sands ii. 13 An irresistible sense of peace and detachment combined with that delicious physical awakening that pulses through the nerve-sick townsman when city airs and bald routine are left behind him, combined to provide me..with a solid background of resignation. 1930 R. Macaulay Staying with Relations xv. 219 Poor child, to be born of quarrelling, nerve-sick parents into a home of strife. 1945 Commonweal 16 Nov. 111/2 Maybe it would help if we quit dinning other weary and nerve-sick nations with statements how strong we are. 1960 W. T. Doyle Charlotte Perkins Gilman & Cycle of Feminist Reform (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Calif., Berkeley) vi. 177 It was a wierd [sic] tale, one of the first of the psychological studies, describing a nerve-sick young mother driven mad by masculine insensitivity and the empty round of an invalid's life. nerve specialist n. a neurologist. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > healer > specialist > [noun] > nerves neurotomist1726 nerve specialist1889 nerve doctor1892 neuroradiologist1955 1889 D. C. Murray & H. Murray Dangerous Catspaw 162 He was a famous nerve specialist when he retired from practice. 1920 A. J. Cummings in ‘W.N.P. Barbellion’ Last Diary p. xxx I persuaded him..to see a first-class nerve specialist. 2014 P. Spyra in A. Wicher et al. Basic Categories Fantastic Lit. Revisited iii. 54 Gilman, as the Gothic mode may lead us to suspect, never manages to see the nerve specialist before his untimely death. nerve storm n. a sudden burst of neural activity thought to be responsible for epilepsy, migraine, and certain other disorders (now historical); (also) an emotional outburst or episode of disturbed behaviour. ΚΠ 1874 Proc. Royal Soc. 1873–4 22 9 The subject of ‘Nerve Storms’ has been well discussed. 1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey iii. vi. 253 Naturally good-tempered, such a nerve-storm made him feel ill, and bruised in the brain. 1991 R. W. B. Lewis Jameses iii. xi. 386 The violence of consciousness and imagery suggestively resembled that in her retrospective account of the nerve storm in 1868. nerve tester n. (a) something that makes one nervous or stressed; (b) an instrument for testing a nerve or the nervous system. ΚΠ 1844 Christianity proved Idolatry Pref. p. iii Such curiously economical, and economically curious persons, as would most willingly learn the contents of this nerve-tester, but have serious objections to ‘pay for peeping’. 1894 Strand Feb. 119/1 A visit to this place is the finest and most complete nerve-tester in the world! 1943 Baltimore Bull. Educ. Sept. 37/1 Dig in for your life. What excitement. Tense feelings, nerve testers. 1977 Trans. Amer. Laryngolog. Soc. 98 107/1 When the appropriate nerve has been identified, it may be confirmed by stimulation with a nerve tester. 2017 G. Gay in P. L. Larke et al. Cultivating Achievement, Respect, & Empowerment (CARE) Afr. Amer. Girls v. 56 They [sc. some young girls] are insistent and stubborn, and, at times, nerve-testers. 2017 S. Said et al. in R. O. Greer et al. Pediatric Head & Neck Pathol. xi. 301/2 The substance of the parotid is dissected through anterior to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, testing for nerve activation with an appropriate nerve tester. nerve tip n. Anatomy = nerve ending n.; also figurative. ΚΠ 1888 O. W. Holmes Life & Lett. 19 July (1896) ii. 136 Natural anodynes..go on benumbing one nerve-tip after another. 1936 F. R. Leavis Revaluation v. 184 The sentiments and attitudes of the patriotic and Anglican Wordsworth..are external, general and conventional; their quality is that of the medium they are proffered in, which is..not felt into from within as something at the nerve-tips, but handled from outside. 1984 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 306 266 (caption) Material in the intermesenteric nerve extended proximally for at least 3.5 mm from the nerve tip in this animal. nerve tonic n. a remedy thought to stimulate or benefit the nerves (also figurative). ΚΠ 1869 S. Bowles Pacific Railroad 35 Asthma and bronchitis flee before the breath of this dry, pure atmosphere, and it operates as an exhilarating nerve-tonic to all. 1887 Bot. Gaz. 12 u9 (advt.) Horsford's Acid Phosphate... ‘From my experience, [I] can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc.’ 1958 R. C. Rollins M. Fernald & A. Kinsey's Edible Wild Plants Eastern N. Amer. (ed. 2) 145 In remote districts of the United States and Canada the roots of orchids as ‘Nerve Roots’ have a large reputation as nerve-tonics and heal-alls. 2001 Sunday Mirror (Electronic ed.) 1 July Oat-based foods act as a nerve tonic while lettuce—known as ‘poor man's opium’—is said to have calming effects. nerve track n. a nerve tract; (also) a nerve pathway. ΚΠ 1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Nerve Nerve-track, the collective nerve-fibres which run through parts of the central nervous system to a distant collection of ganglion-cells. 1933 B. Gadelius Human Mentality iv. 101 Many psychological experiences..may be explained by the existence of subordinate relatively independent nerve-tracks. 1991 Science 15 Mar. 1334 The cuff neurites are found inside the connective tissue that surrounds the nerve track leading to the head. nerve tract n. Anatomy a group or bundle of nerve fibres, esp. in the central nervous system. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of file1607 funiculus1824 nerve filament1839 fillet1840 nerve fibril1851 lemniscus1857 nerve cord1864 nerve bundle1865 nerve branch1874 nerve plexus1877 nerve tract1877 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 fibre tract1904 1877 M. Foster Text Bk. Physiol. iii. i. 344 When the anterior roots are cut, the motor nerves alone degenerate, and can be similarly diagnosed in a mixed nerve-tract. 1878 F. J. Bell & E. R. Lankester tr. C. Gegenbaur Elements Compar. Anat. 217 The close association of the hæmal system and the nerve-tracts. 1966 Brit. Med. Bull. 22 266/2 On this view, various humoral agents (now called releasing factors) are liberated from nerve-endings (of hypothalamic nerve tracts) into the capillaries (primary plexus) of the portal vessels in the median eminence. 1981 R. N. Hardy Endocrine Physiol. vi. 55 The functional unit of hypothalamic nuclei, nerve-tracts and posterior pituitary gland is termed the neurohypophysis. nerve trunk n. Anatomy the proximal part of a nerve, from which smaller branches arise. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > types of nerves > [noun] sensitive?a1425 motivec1475 life stringc1522 recurrent1615 life corda1631 abducent1681 cord1774 chord1783 motor1824 afferent1828 excitor1836 nerve trunk1850 mixed nerve1861 inhibitory nerve1870 nervelet1875 vaso-motor1887 pilomotor1892 lemniscus1913 1850 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 140 742 The conduction of nervous force is prevented by pressure on the nerve-trunk. 1893 A. S. Eccles Sciatica 69 Inflammation of the nerve-trunk or its branches. 1942 O. Larsell Anat. Nerv. Syst. iv. 48 A delicate sheath of connective tissue fibers, continuous with the endoneurium of the nerve trunk, is intimately associated with and surrounds the neurolemma of most individual peripheral fibers. 1983 D. J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. II. xxi. 21/1 Electrical stimulation of nerve trunks or of cutaneous nerves can result in endorphins appearing in the cerebrospinal fluid. nerve tube n. †(a) Anatomy a nerve fibre (obsolete); (b) Embryology a neural tube. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre nerve1839 nerve fibre1839 nerve tube1839 nerve tubule1849 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 592/1 It is evident that the contained matter of the nerve-tube is extremely soft. 1879 St. George's Hosp. Rep. 9 803 The nerve-tubes of the white matter were natural. 1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. ii. 46 Below the nerve-tube [of the embryo], a long straight rod is nipped off from the top of the gut. 1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) xvi. 565 Ependymal cells retain the epithelial character true of all the tissue of the embryonic nerve tube and persist in a layer of epithelium..lining the cavities of the brain and spinal cord. nerve tubule n. Anatomy (now historical) a nerve fibre. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre nerve1839 nerve fibre1839 nerve tube1839 nerve tubule1849 1849 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 139 142 The fungiform papillæ consist of a circular zone of epithelian cells..with nerve-tubules ascending and terminating. 1893 A. S. Eccles Sciatica 31 Where there is a change in the nerve-tubules themselves. 1939 Q. Rev. Biol. 14 398/2 An essential difference between the articulate brain tubules and the cylindrical, simple nerve tubules..was found by Ehrenberg. 1991 A. C. Moulyn Mind-Body i. 15 The animal spirits tumbled around in the pineal gland in a vortex, which was centered around a geometric point. The soul sent these spirits into the hollow nerve tubules, and they were the cause of the various functions in the periphery, which Descartes regarded as being pure mechanisms. nerve tunic n. (a) Anatomy the retina (now historical); †(b) Zoology a nerve net (obsolete rare). ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > types of touch cell1878 nerve glue1879 nerve tunic1881 neuroepithelium1889 1881 Littell's Living Age 26 Nov. 457/1 The surrounding parts of the nerve tunic of the eye are of very inferior sensibility in comparison with this central spot. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 184/1 An elongate animal, with a plexiform nerve-tunic. 1996 D. C. Lindberg tr. R. Bacon in Roger Bacon & Origins of ‘Perspectiva’ in Middle Ages 29 Spreading out from the nerve tunic that comes (according to everybody) from the dura mater is the second tunic of the eye. nerve twig n. Anatomy any of the small terminal branches of a nerve. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > branch rame1578 surcle1578 ramus1615 sprig1634 twig1683 ramus communicans1798 rootlet1815 radicle1829 nerve twig1865 arm1870 radical1880 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 1865 Philos. Trans. 1864 (Royal Soc.) 154 449 (note) To both of which they afford a plentiful supply of nerve-twigs. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 20 If we find..the nerve-twigs of the limb affected. 1968 Brain 91 737 The muscle spindle is a complex sensori-motor structure lying between fasciculi of extrafusal muscle fibres, often near nerve twigs and blood vessels. 1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) iv. 604 The area of the lesion is anaesthetic, loss of sensation being caused by obliteration of cutaneous nerve twigs. nerve war n. = war of nerves n. at Phrases 5. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > psychological warfare psychological war1918 psychological warfare1939 war of nerves1939 nerve war1941 psychological operations1951 psy-war1951 psy-op1965 1941 Argus (Melbourne) Week-end Mag. 15 Nov. 1/4 Nerve war, grousing or complaining to get things done. 1942 Ann. Reg. 1941 212 The firm stand..against Japanese blackmail, cajolery, threats, and ‘nerve-war’. 1946 F. Williams Press, Parl. & People iii. 61 They [sc. the Germans]..convinced themselves that the message had been put out deliberately as part of a clever piece of nerve war to mislead them and try to make their defence forces jumpy. 1993 C. W. Koburger Naval Warfare in Eastern Mediterranean, 1040–1945 vii. 112 Raiding forces would continue to attack outlying enemy garrisons and step up the nerve war. nerve-winged adj. Entomology neuropterous. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [adjective] > of wing(s) > of or relating to nervure > having nervures nervose1819 nerve-winged1847 1847 H. McMurtrie Lexicon Scientiarum 158 Neuroptera, Ent... Nerve-winged. 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 37/2 The class or order Neuroptera, or nerve-winged flies—flies with clear gaudy wings, intersected with a network of veined markings. 1945 Sci. Monthly June 426 The general groupings include the larvae of moths and butterflies, beetles,..and nerve-winged insects. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022). nervev. Brit. /nəːv/, U.S. /nərv/ Forms: 1700s– nerve; also Scottish pre-1700 narff, pre-1700 narve, pre-1700 nerf, pre-1700 nerffe, pre-1700 nerft, pre-1700 nerue, pre-1700 nerve. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: nerve n. Etymology: < nerve n. Compare Middle French nerver to reinforce (e.g. a saddle) with strips of leather or sinew (1528; French nerver ; compare nervé (adjective) ornamented with ribbing, reinforced with strips of leather or sinew (mid 14th cent.)). With sense 2 compare earlier unnerve v. 1. With sense 3a compare earlier unnerve v. 2. †1. transitive. Scottish. To ornament with threads or narrow bands of some material. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > embroider or ornament with sewing > in other ways couchc1405 clock1521 nerve1532 re-embroider1659 herringbone1787 hem-stitcha1839 wavela1844 to lay on1880 darn1882 faggot1883 feather-stitch1884 overcast1891 clox1922 needlepoint1975 1532 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 24 For foure elnis blak taffateis to nerve and geit them [sc. hose]. ?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) i. l. 547 in Shorter Poems (1967) 40 Mony entrappit stede with sylkis sere. Mony pattrell neruyt with gold I tald. 2. transitive. To give strength or vigour to (the arm, etc.). Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > strengthening > make strong [verb (transitive)] strengha1175 strengthc1300 fastena1398 starka1400 fortify14.. enstrength1483 roborate1534 enstrengthen1539 strengthen1539 strengthen1546 masculate1623 nerve1694 nervate1792 the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > strengthening or confirmation of immaterial things > strengthen or confirm immaterial things [verb (transitive)] strengha1175 strengthc1200 astrengthc1250 strength1340 confirmc1386 affirma1393 forcec1430 renforce?1473 corrobore1485 re-enforcec1485 reinforcec1485 stronga1500 consolidate?a1547 strengthen1546 sinewize1600 sinew1625 confortate1651 nervate1682 scaffolda1693 corroborate1698 substantiate1792 nerve1856 stouten1887 affirm1899 toughen1901 to put stuffing into1938 1694 E. Settle Ambitious Slave iv. 42 I know not, Celestina, by what Charm But thou hast bound my Soul, and Nerv'd my Arm. 1750 A. Hill tr. Voltaire Merope (ed. 2) iii. iii. 34 Thou, last, Tremend'ous Power! pale Goddess! present, still, To direful Vengeance! nerve this lifted Arm, And thus assisting [etc.]. 1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 105 The mingling currents..Nerve the strong arm, and tinge the blushing cheek. 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xiv. 235 A good writer..makes haste to chasten and nerve his period by English monosyllables. 1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad II. xv. 104 He nerved their limbs With vigor ever new. 1887 Bowden tr. Virgil Æneid iv. 452 Further to nerve her purpose to leave this world of the sun. 1968 J. Kirkup Paper Windows 47 Weak paper nerved By thirty-three bamboo bones. 3. a. transitive. To imbue with courage, to embolden. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > courage > encouragement > encourage or embolden [verb (transitive)] hearteOE bieldc897 hardenc1175 elnea1225 hardyc1225 boldc1275 hardishc1325 endurec1384 assurec1386 emboldc1400 recomfortc1405 enharda1450 support1479 enhardy1483 animatec1487 encourage1490 emboldishc1503 hearten1524 bolden1526 spright1531 raise1533 accourage1534 enheart1545 to hearten on1555 hearten?1556 alacriate1560 bespirit1574 bebrave1576 to put in heart1579 to hearten up1580 embolden1583 bravea1593 enhearten1610 inspiritc1610 rehearten1611 blood1622 mana1625 valiant1628 flush1633 firm1639 buoy1645 embrave1648 reinhearten1652 reanimate1655 reinspirit1660 to give mettle to1689 warm1697 to lift (up) a person's spirits1711 reman1715 to make a man of1722 respirit1725 elate1726 to cocker up1762 enharden1779 nerve1799 boost1815 brace1816 high-mettle1831 braven1865 brazen1884 1799 J. Boaden Aurelio & Miranda ii. i. 28 My firmness staggers under this rude shock; And calls for lonely thought, to nerve my mind! 1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake v. 210 The word..nerves my heart, it steels my sword. 1829 E. Bulwer-Lytton Devereux I. i. iii. 32 I think you have been now some years nerving your mind to the exertion. 1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece V. ii. xxxix. 84 We find thus the Athenians nerved up to the pitch of resistance. 1877 W. Black Green Pastures iii A murmur of indignant repudiation nerved him to a further effort. 1926 R. H. Tawney Relig. & Rise Capitalism iv. 230 The moral self-sufficiency of the Puritan nerved his will, but it corroded his sense of social solidarity. 1994 T. Clark Junkets on Sad Planet ii. 53 The diverting sea Air that shored up the old fort town of Hastings Nerved him with the courage of an infantryman. b. transitive (reflexive). To brace oneself (for something, to do something). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > prepare [verb (reflexive)] > for effort girdc1450 bracea1500 buckle1570 accinge1657 screw1785 to work up1820 nerve1821 poise1831 to screw up1841 1821 Ld. Byron Two Foscari i. i, in Sardanapalus 195 He hath nerved himself, And now defies them. 1887 R. N. Carey Uncle Max xxvii. 212 His expression..was that of a man who was nerving himself to bear some great trouble. 1910 E. M. Forster Howards End xii. 103 With infinite effort we nerve ourselves for a crisis that never comes. 1933 J. Hilton Lost Horizon ii. 56 Though still rather dazed by the recent blow on his head, he nerved himself for action. 1955 Times 28 June 5/5 For sentiment's sake one half hoped that a few of those who in a better day kept a regular rendezvous at Ciro's Club in London would nerve themselves to the task of putting in an appearance yesterday. 1987 Landscape Oct. 68/3 The woodland jay may nerve itself to come outside into the open and find no harm in it. †c. intransitive. To have an emboldening effect. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1842 E. Bulwer-Lytton Zanoni i. iii So much that warmed, and animated, and nerved. 1890 J. R. Lowell To C. F. Bradford Bracing essences that nerve To wait, to dare, to strive. †4. intransitive. To show signs of nervousness. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > physical symptoms of fear > exhibit physical symptoms [verb (intransitive)] > show signs of nervousness nerve1801 jitter1931 the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > be nervous or uneasy [verb (intransitive)] > show signs of nervousness nerve1801 1801 ‘Gabrielli’ Mysterious Husband II. 197 Bless me, how dark it is! you ought to have had lamps! Come, child, how you nerve! This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.a1400v.1532
随便看	to sally out to salt away to salt down to salt in to salute tyburn to salve a sore to salve over to salve the phenomena to sam hold of to sam up to sand and canvas to sand over to sand up to sap one's way to sap up on to sap up, on to sass back to satiety to satisfaction to satisfy production to satisfy the examiners to satisfy the production to sauce a person's jacket to sauce jacket to saucer out

nerven.

Phrases

Compounds

nervev.