/nərv/
Noun, pl. nerves
(Anatomy)
1. An enclosed, cable-like bundle of axons (the long, slender projections of neurons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons to peripheral organs. (wikipedia.org)
2. Any of the cordlike bundles of fibers made up of neurons through which sensory stimuli and motor impulses pass between the brain or other parts of the central nervous system and the eyes, glands, muscles, and other parts of the body. Nerves form a network of pathways for conducting information throughout the body. (thefreedictionary.com)
3. One of the whitish and elastic bundles of fibres, with the accompanying tissues, which transmit nervous impulses between nerve centers and various parts of the animal body.
An ordinary nerve is made up of several bundles of nerve fibres, each bundle inclosed in a special sheath (the perineurium) and all bound together in a connective tissue sheath and framework (the epineurium) containing blood vessels and lymphatics. (biology-online.org)
(Zoology)
1. A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics. (wiktionary.org)
2. One of the nervures, or veins, in the wings of insects. (biology-online.org)
(Botany)
1. A vein in a leaf; a grain in wood. (wiktionary.org)
2. A vein or rib in the wing of an insect. (thefreedictionary.com)
3. One of the principal fibrovascular bundles or ribs of a leaf, especially when these extend straight from the base or the midrib of the leaf. (biology-online.org)
(Nonstandard, colloquial)
1. A neuron. (wiktionary.org)
2. (Obsolete) Sinew, tendon. (wiktionary.org)
Word origin: From Old French nerf and directly from Medieval Latin nervus “nerve,” from Latin nervus “sinew, tendon; cord, bowstring,” metathesis of pre-Latin *neuros