nerve
Meaning of nerve: A nerve is a bundle of fibers carrying electrical and chemical signals between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body.
Definition of nerve
A nerve is a cordlike bundle of fibers, each an extension of an individual nerve cell, that carries signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. Signals travel along a nerve as a combination of electrical impulses within each fiber and chemical signals released where one nerve cell communicates with another.
Some nerves mainly carry sensory information from the body toward the brain and spinal cord, such as signals related to touch, temperature, or pain, while others mainly carry motor signals outward to direct movement of muscles, and many nerves contain a mixture of both fiber types.
Because nerves form the communication network linking the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body, injury or disease affecting a nerve can disrupt sensation, movement, or both in the area it serves, depending on which fibers are involved and where along its length the damage occurs.
Used in a sentence
Nerve conduction studies were performed to evaluate the numbness in the patient's hand.
Good to know
A pinched or damaged nerve can produce symptoms, such as numbness or weakness, in an area of the body far from the actual site of injury, since a single nerve often travels a long path before reaching the tissue it serves.
Word origin
Where “nerve” comes from
Formed from Latin nervus, meaning sinew, tendon, or bowstring, later applied to the fibers now recognized as nerves.