nerve

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Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Recorded since circa 1374, from Medieval Latin nervus (“nerve”), from Latin nervus (“sinew”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

nerve (plural nerves)

  1. (zoology) A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
    The nerves can be seen through the skin.
  2. (nonstandard, colloquial) A neuron.
  3. (botany) A vein in a leaf; a grain in wood
    Some plants have ornamental value because of their contrasting nerves
  4. Courage, boldness.
    He hasn't the nerve to tell her he likes her, what a wimp!
  5. Patience. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  6. Stamina, endurance, fortitude. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  7. Audacity, gall.
    He had the nerve to enter my house uninvited.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XVIII:
      “Oh?” she said. “So you have decided to revise my guest list for me? You have the nerve, the – the –” I saw she needed helping out. “Audacity,” I said, throwing her the line. “The audacity to dictate to me who I shall have in my house.” It should have been “whom”, but I let it go. “You have the –” “Crust.” “– the immortal rind,” she amended, and I had to admit it was stronger, “to tell me whom” – she got it right that time – “I may entertain at Brinkley Court and who” – wrong again – “I may not.”
  8. (in the plural) Agitation caused by fear, stress or other negative emotion.
    Ellie had a bad case of nerves before the big test.
  9. (obsolete) Sinew, tendon.
    • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2
      Come on; obey: / Thy nerves are in their infancy again, / And have no vigour in them.

Synonyms [edit]

Audacity, gall
brashness, brazenness

Hyponyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Terms derived from the noun "nerve"

Related terms [edit]

Terms etymologically related to "nerve"

Translations [edit]

bundle of neurons
(colloquial) neuron
(botany) vain; grain in wood
courage
patience
stamina
audacity
agitation caused by a negative emotion
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb [edit]

nerve (third-person singular simple present nerves, present participle nerving, simple past and past participle nerved)

  1. (transitive) To give courage; sometimes with "up".
    May their example nerve us to face the enemy.
  2. (transitive) To give strength
    The liquor nerved up several of the men after their icy march.

Translations [edit]

encourage — see encourage
strengthen — see strengthen

Anagrams [edit]

Dutch [edit]

Noun [edit]

nerve f (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje)

  1. (obsolete) Alternative form of nerf.

Anagrams [edit]

French [edit]

Verb [edit]

nerve

  1. first-person singular present indicative of nerver
  2. third-person singular present indicative of nerver
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of nerver
  4. first-person singular present subjunctive of nerver
  5. second-person singular imperative of nerver

German [edit]

Verb [edit]

nerve

  1. First-person singular present of nerven.
  2. First-person singular subjunctive I of nerven.
  3. Third-person singular subjunctive I of nerven.
  4. Imperative singular of nerven.

Latin [edit]

Noun [edit]

nerve

  1. vocative singular of nervus
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