English

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!

   • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Jack Wilshere scores twice to ease Arsenal to victory over Marseille (in The Guardian, 26 November 2013)

     A trip to the whistling, fire-cracking Stadio San Paolo is always a test of nerve but Wenger's men have already outplayed the Italians once.

5. Patience. (Can we add an example for this sense?) (Can we add an example for this sense?)
6. Stamina, endurance, fortitude.
   • Milton

     He led me on to mightiest deeds, / Above the nerve of mortal arm.

7. Audacity, gall.

   He had the nerve to enter my house uninvited.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter XVIII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:

     “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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)

Synonyms

Audacity, gall

brashness, brazenness, balls

Hyponyms

• See also Wikisaurus:nerve

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To give courage.

   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.

Usage notes

• Sometimes used with “up”.

Translations

Anagrams

• never

Dutch

Noun

nerve f ‎(plural nerven, diminutive nerfje n)

1. Obsolete form of nerf.

Anagrams

• erven, reven, veren

French

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

German

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.

Latin

Noun

nerve

1. vocative singular of nervus

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Ancient Greek "neuron", and Latin nervus

Noun

nerve m ‎(definite singular nerven, indefinite plural nerver, definite plural nervene)

1. a nerve

References

“nerve” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Ancient Greek "neuron", and Latin nervus

Noun

nerve m ‎(definite singular nerven, indefinite plural nervar, definite plural nervane)

1. a nerve

References

• “nerve” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.