efferent fiber
- noun
- /ˈɛfərənt ˈfaɪbər/
- Specialized
:
fibra eferente
- After the injury, the doctor explained that the efferent fibers were responsible for the loss of muscle control.
Examples
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The stimulation of efferent fibers helps in regulating glandular secretions.
-
This morphological distinction indicates that efferent fibers do not have a major influence on inner hair cells directly, as they do for outer hair cells.
Academic text (1998) -
The efferent fiber transmits signals from the brain to the muscles to facilitate movement.
Synonyms
A thin thread that carries messages from the brain to a muscle to make it move
A nerve that sends signals from the brain or spinal cord to muscles to make them move
Antonyms
- Specialized
A long thin part of a nerve that carries signals to the brain and spinal cord
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'efferent' denotes outward/transmitting-away and 'fiber' denotes a nerve/muscle thread, so together they denote a nerve fiber carrying impulses away from the nervous system. This follows standard biomedical compounding and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings.
Etymology
The term efferent fiber comes from old words: efferent meaning 'to carry away' and fiber meaning 'thread'. Imagine a tiny thread or road carrying messages out from the brain to the muscles or glands, so a efferent fiber is a nerve that sends signals away from the body's command center to make muscles move or glands work.
