nervus

Latin

Etymology

By a metathesis of Old Latin *neuros, a thematicization of Proto-Indo-European *snḗh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”). Cognates include Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “tendon, string, nerve”), Old English seonu (“tendon, nerve, sinew”). More at English nerve.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈner.u̯us/, [ˈnɛru̯ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈner.vus/, [ˈnɛrvus]

Noun

nervus m (genitive nervī); second declension

1. (anatomy) A sinew, tendon, nerve, muscle.
2. A cord, string or wire; string of a musical instrument; bow, bowstring; cords or wires by which a puppet is moved.
3. The leather with which shields were covered.
4. A thong with which a person was bound; fetter; prison.
5. (of plants) A fiber or fibre.
6. (figuratively) Vigor, force, power, strength, energy, nerve.

   Synonym: vīs

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	nervus	nervī
Genitive	nervī	nervōrum
Dative	nervō	nervīs
Accusative	nervum	nervōs
Ablative	nervō	nervīs
Vocative	nerve	nervī

Derived terms

• nerviceus
• nervicus
• nervulus
• nervālis
• nervīnus
• nervōsus
• ēnervis

 

Related terms

• nervōsitās
• nervōsē

 

Descendants

• Asturian: nerviu
• Catalan: nervi
• English: nerve
• French: nerf
• Galician: nervio
• German: Nerv
• Hunsrik: Nerrev
• Italian: nerbo, nervo
• Luxembourgish: Nerv
• Macedonian: нерв (nerv)
• Norwegian:
  • Bokmål: nerve
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nerve
• Portuguese: nervo
• Russian: нерв (nerv)
• Spanish: nervio
• Welsh: nerf

References

• “nervus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nervus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• nervus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• nervus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to strain every nerve, do one's utmost in a matter: omnes nervos in aliqua re contendere
    
  • to strain every nerve, do one's utmost in a matter: omnibus viribusor nervis contendere, ut
    
  • instrumental music: nervorum et tibiarum cantus
    
  • vocal and instrumental music: vocum et fidium (nervorum) cantus
    
  • to strike the strings of the lyre: pellere nervos in fidibus
    
• “nervus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “nervus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin nervōsus.

Adjective

nervus m (oblique and nominative feminine singular nervuse)

1. sinew; tendon (attributively)