nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that in vertebrates is made up of the brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs and that receives and interprets stimuli and transmits impulses to the effector organs see autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system

Examples of nervous system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The findings suggest even the earliest vertebrates may have had a rudimentary version of this nervous system, shedding light on the origins of our own, researchers reported last month in the journal Nature. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024

Caffeine is a stimulant that essentially revs up your nervous system like adding nitrous to a car, which is decidedly not good if your mind is already hyperactive with worry, according to a paper published in NCBI in 2015. —Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2024

The Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street was the center of the Bay Area’s nervous system. —Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024

In my case, the bacteria has attacked the nervous system. —For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that receives stimuli, decides on their importance, and sends nerve impulses to the organs of action and that in vertebrates is made up of brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs

Medical Definition

nervous system

noun

: the bodily system that in vertebrates is made up of the brain and spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor organs and that receives and interprets stimuli and transmits impulses to the effector organs see autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system