nerve

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

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

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

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.
  6. Stamina, endurance, fortitude.
  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.

[edit] Synonyms

Audacity, gall
brashness, brazenness

[edit] Hyponyms

[edit] Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun "nerve"

[edit] Related terms

Terms etymologically related to "nerve"

[edit] Translations

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

[edit] Verb

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.

[edit] Translations

encourage — see encourage
strengthen — see strengthen

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Dutch

[edit] Etymology

Germanic, from Middle Dutch nerwe, nerve

[edit] Noun

nerve ? (plural nerven, diminutive nerfje)

  1. (obsolete) Alternative form of nerf. (senses marking etc.)

[edit] Verb form

nerve

  1. subjunctive singular present form of nerven

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] French

[edit] Verb

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

[edit] German

[edit] Verb

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.

[edit] Latin

[edit] Noun

nerve

  1. vocative singular of nervus
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=nerve&oldid=15825551"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Views
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox
In other languages