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 sinu (“tendon, nerve, sinew”). More at English nerve.

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈner.u̯us/, [ˈnɛru̯ʊs̠]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈner.vus/, [ˈnɛrvus]

Noun

nervus m (genitive nervī); second declension

(anatomy) A sinew, tendon, nerve, muscle.
A cord, string or wire; string of a musical instrument; bow, bowstring; cords or wires by which a puppet is moved.
The leather with which shields were covered.
A thong with which a person was bound; fetter; prison.
(of plants) A fiber or fibre.
(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

ēnervis
Nerva
nervālis
nerviceus
nervicus
nervīnus
nervōsus
nervulus

Related terms

nervōsē
nervōsitās

Descendants

Dalmatian: niar
→ English: nerve
French: nerf
Friulian: gnerf
→ German: Nerv
→ Hunsrik: Nerrev
Italian: nerbo, nervo
→ Luxembourgish: Nerv
→ Macedonian: нерв (nerv)
Norwegian:
- → Norwegian Bokmål: nerve
- → Norwegian Nynorsk: nerve
Piedmontese: nerv
Portuguese: nervo
→ Russian: нерв (nerv)
→ Czech: nerv
Tourangeau: narh
→ Welsh: nerf
Sicilian: nerbu, nervu
⇒ Vulgar Latin: nervium
- Asturian: nerviu
- Catalan: nervi
- Galician: nervio
- Spanish: nervio

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, 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

Anagrams

vē̆rnus

Old French

Etymology

From Latin nervōsus.

Adjective

nervus m (oblique and nominative feminine singular nervuse)

sinew; tendon (attributively)