# nerve

Pronunciation: say "NURV" US /nɝv/, UK /nɜːv/

## Noun

1. A bundle of neurons together with the connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels that surround them.
   - Simple: A thin cord inside the body that carries messages between the brain and other parts.
   - _Surgeons carefully avoided the facial nerve during the delicate operation._
   - _Damage to the optic nerve can cause permanent loss of vision._
2. Boldness or courage; also the audacity or cheek to do something brazen.
   - Simple: Brave confidence, especially the boldness to do something risky or rude.
   - _He admired the lead climber's nerve on the exposed rock face._
   - _You've got some nerve showing up here after everything you said._
3. A state of mental agitation brought on by fear, stress, or other negative emotions.
   - Simple: A feeling of worry or fear that leaves you tense and uneasy.
   - _The performer fought back her nerves before stepping onto the stage._
   - _His nerves frayed during the long wait for the test results._
4. Stamina, patience, or fortitude; the staying power to endure something difficult.
   - Simple: The strength to keep going through something hard or tiring.
   - _Running an ultramarathon demands extraordinary nerve and endurance._
   - _His nerve held through weeks of grueling, sleepless negotiations._
5. One's neural makeup regarded collectively as the seat of composure and mental steadiness.
   - Simple: Calm, steady control of yourself when things get hard or scary.
   - _The surgeon worked with a nerve of iron through the eight-hour procedure._
   - _Years of combat had tested every soldier's nerve to its limit._
8. A neuron; a single cell specialized to transmit electrical impulses. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: A single cell that carries signals through the brain and body.
   - _Researchers watched a single nerve fire under the microscope._
   - _When a nerve activates, it passes the signal on to its neighbors._
9. A vein in a leaf, or the grain running through a piece of wood.
   - Simple: A line or vein running through a leaf, or the grain in a piece of wood.
   - _The central nerve of the leaf carries water out to its edges._
   - _Skilled carvers follow the nerve of the wood to avoid splitting it._
10. The springiness of raw rubber or other polymers that resists lasting changes of shape while the material is being processed.
   - Simple: The springy stiffness of raw rubber that makes it resist being shaped.
   - _The compound's high nerve made it spring back after each pass through the mill._
   - _Reducing the nerve in the stock lets it hold the molded shape._

## Verb

6. To give courage to someone; to fill with boldness.
   - Simple: To make someone feel braver or more confident.
   - _A good leader can nerve an exhausted team to push harder._
   - _The crowd's roar nerved the young boxer for the next round._
7. To give strength to someone or something; to supply with energy or vigor.
   - Simple: To give someone new strength or energy.
   - _The crisp mountain air seemed to nerve his weary limbs._
   - _Fresh supplies nerved the troops for the coming march._
11. To perform a neurectomy on an animal: to cut a nerve, especially in a horse's lower leg, in order to remove sensation. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To cut a nerve in an animal, usually a horse, so it stops feeling pain in that part.
   - _The surgeon nerved the racehorse to relieve its chronic heel pain._
   - _Some owners nerve a horse rather than retire it from competition._
12. To annoy, irritate, or bother someone; to get on their nerves. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To annoy, irritate, or bother someone.
   - _The noisy upstairs neighbors nerved her all summer long._
   - _Small delays nerve me far more than big setbacks do._
13. To feel nervous; to be in a state of anxiety. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To feel nervous or uneasy.

## Noun

14. A sinew or tendon; the fibrous cord that connects muscle to bone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A tough cord that joins muscle to bone, like a sinew or tendon.

## Origin

Recorded since around 1374 as Middle English nerve, from Medieval Latin nervus ('nerve'), which came from Latin nervus ('sinew'). It is a doublet of neuron and sinew, and its verb sense is chiefly a semantic loan from German nerven.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nerve (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).