| nervous | 1. Possessing nerve; sinewy; strong; vigorous. "Nervous arms." 2. Possessing or manifesting vigor of mind; characterised by strength in sentiment or style; forcible; spirited; as, a nervous writer. 3. Of or pertaining to the nerves; seated in the nerves; as, nervous excitement; a nervous fever. 4. Having the nerves weak, diseased, or easily excited; subject to, or suffering from, undue excitement of the nerves; easily agitated or annoyed. "Poor, weak, nervous creatures." (Cheyne) 5. Sensitive; excitable; timid. "Our aristocratic class does not firmly protest against the unfair treatment of Irish Catholics, because it is nervous about the land." (M. <anatomy> Arnold) Nervous fever, the specialized coordinating apparatus which endows animals with sensation and volition. In vertebrates it is often divided into three systems: the central, brain and spinal cord; the peripheral, cranial and spinal nerves; and the sympathetic. See Brain, Nerve, Spinal cord, under Spinal, and Sympathetic system. In Appendix. Nervous temperament, a condition of body characterised by a general predominance of mental manifestations. Origin: L. Nervosus sinewy, vigorous: cf. F. Nerveux. See Nerve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| nervous asthenopia | Asthenopia due to functional or organic nervous disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous asthma | Asthma precipitated by psychic stress. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous breakdown | Nonmedical term for an emotional or mental illness; often a euphemism for a psychiatric disorder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous colon syndrome | <syndrome> A common gastrointestinal disorder characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits with alternating diarrhoea and constipation, symptoms that tend to be chronic and wax and wane over the years. Although nervous colon syndrome can cause chronic recurrent discomfort, it appears to be an abnormal condition of gut contractions (motility) and does not lead to any serious organ problems. Diagnosis usually involves excluding other illnesses. Treatment is directed toward relief of symptoms and includes high fibre diet, exercise, relaxation techniques, avoidance of caffeine, milk products and sweeteners, and medications. Alternative names include irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colitis, and mucus colitis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| nervous dyspepsia | Dyspepsia associated with nervousness, tension, or anxiety. Synonym: functional dyspepsia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous indigestion | Indigestion caused by emotional upsets or stress. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous lobe | The bulbous part of the neurohypophysis attached to the hypothalamus by the infundibulum. It is composed of pituicytes, blood vessels, and terminals of nerve fibres from the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Synonym: lobus nervosus, nervous lobe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous lobe of hypophysis | The bulbous part of the neurohypophysis attached to the hypothalamus by the infundibulum. It is composed of pituicytes, blood vessels, and terminals of nerve fibres from the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Synonym: lobus nervosus, nervous lobe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous part of retina | nervous part of retina |
| nervous tissue | A highly differentiated tissue composed of nerve cells, nerve fibres, dendrites, and a supporting tissue (neuroglia). (05 Mar 2000) |
| nervous tunic of eyeball | Light sensitive layer of the eye. In vertebrates, looking from outside, there are four major cell layers: (i) the outer neural retina, which contains neurons (ganglion cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells) as well as blood vessels, (ii) the photoreceptor layer, a single layer of rods and cones, (iii) the pigmented retinal epithelium (PRE or RPE), (iv) the choroid, composed of connective tissue, fibroblasts and including a well vascularised layer, the chorio capillaris, underlying the basal lamina of the PRE. Behind the choroid is the sclera, a thick organ capsule. In molluscs (especially cephalopods such as the squid) the retina has the light sensitive cells as the outer layer with the neural and supporting tissues below. See: retinal rods, retinal cones, rhodopsin. (18 Nov 1997) |
| syndrome, nervous colon | See Syndrome, irritable bowel. (12 Dec 1998) |
| internal carotid (nervous) plexus | An autonomic plexus surrounding the internal carotid artery in the carotid canal and cavernous sinus, and sending branches to the tympanic plexus, sphenopalatine ganglion, abducens and oculomotor nerves, the cerebral vessels, and the ciliary ganglion. Synonym: internal carotid venous plexus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absolute system of units | A system based on absolute units accepted as being fundamental (length, mass, time) and from which other units (force, energy or work, power) are derived; such system's in common use are the foot-pound-second, centimeter-gram-second, and meter-kilogram-second system's. (05 Mar 2000) |