Nerve, nėrv, n. bodily strength, firmness, courage: (anat.) one of the fibres which convey sensation from all parts of the body to the brain: (bot.) one of the fibres or ribs in the leaves of plants: a trade term for a non-porous quality of cork, slightly charred: (pl.) hysterical nervousness.—v.t. to give strength or vigour to: to arm with force.—adj. Nerv′al.—ns. Nervā′tion, the arrangement or distribution of nerves, esp. those of leaves; Nerve′-cell, any cell forming part of the nervous system, esp. one of those by means of which nerve-fibres are connected with each other; Nerve′-cen′tre, a collection of nerve-cells from which nerves branch out.—adj. Nerved, furnished with nerves, or with nerves of a special character, as 'strong-nerved.'—n. Nerve′-fī′bre, one of the essential thread-like units of which a nerve is composed.—adj. Nerve′less, without strength.—n. Nerve′lessness.—adj. Nerv′ine, acting on the nerves: quieting nervous excitement.—n. a medicine that soothes nervous excitement.—adjs. Nerv′ous, having nerve: sinewy: strong, vigorous, showing strength and vigour: pertaining to the nerves: having the nerves easily excited or weak; Nerv′ous, Nervose′, Nerved (bot.) having parallel fibres or veins.—adv. Nerv′ously.—n. Nerv′ousness.—adj. Nerv′ūlar.—ns. Nerv′ūle, a small nerve, a small vein of an insect's wing—also Nervulet, Veinlet, Venule; Nerv′ure, one of the nerves or veins of leaves: one of the horny tubes or divisions which expand the wings of insects: one of the ribs in a groined vault: a projecting moulding.—adj. Nerv′y, strong, vigorous.—Nervous system (anat.), the brain, spinal cord, and nerves collectively: the whole of the nerves and nerve-centres of the body considered as related to each other, and fitted to act together. [Fr.,—L. nervus; Gr. neuron, a sinew.]
Nescience, nesh′ens, n. want of knowledge.—adj. Nesc′ient. [L. nescientia—nescīre, to be ignorant—ne, not, scīre, to know.]
Nesh, nesh, adj. (prov.) soft, crumbly: tender.—v.t. Nesh′en, to make tender.
Neshamah, nesh′a-mä, n. the highest degree of the soul in the cabbalistic system.
Nesiote, nē′si-ōt, adj. insular. [Gr. nēsos, an island.]
Neski, nes′ki, n. the cursive hand generally used in Arabic.—Also Nesh′ki. [Ar.]
Nesogæan, nē-sō-jē′an, adj. pertaining to Nesogæa—Polynesia or Oceania, New Zealand excepted, with regard to the distribution of its animals. [Gr. nēsos, an island, gaia, the earth.]
Ness, nes, n. a promontory or headland. [A.S. næss; a doublet of naze, prob. conn. with nose.]
Nest, nest, n. the bed formed by a bird for hatching her young: the place in which the eggs of any animal are laid and hatched: a comfortable residence: a number of persons haunting one place for a bad purpose: the place itself: a number of baskets or boxes each fitting inside the next larger.—v.t. to form a nest for.—v.i. to build and occupy a nest.—n. Nest′-egg, an egg left in the nest to keep the hen from forsaking it: something laid up as the beginning of an accumulation.—Feather one's nest, to provide for one's self, esp. from other people's property of which one has had charge. [A.S. nest; Ger. nest, L. nīdus.]
Nestle, nes′l, v.i. to lie close or snug as in a nest: to settle comfortably.—v.t. to cherish, as a bird does her young.—adj. Nest′ling, being in the nest, newly hatched.—n. act of making a nest: a young bird in the nest—also Nest′ler. [A.S. nestlian—nest.]