nerve end

5.8

The small tip of a nerve that sends and receives signals

noun
/nɜrv ɛnd/

Specialized

: terminación nerviosa

After the injury, he felt a tingling sensation where the nerve ends were exposed.

Examples

Proper care is essential to protect the nerve ends and prevent long-term complications.
If something happens to these nerve ends, it alters your expression.

The Raven (1935)
I mean that uncontrollable impulse... that shakes you to your very foundation... that makes your nerve ends tickle and your head spin... and that makes you feel like jelly.

Choose Me (1984)
This results in a significant decrease in blood flow, not only because of the decreased vascular supply, but also because of the release of vasoconstricting neurotransmitters from the severed nerve ends.

Academic text (1999)
It was scientifically controlled so that the nerve ends were deadened while Mr. Parker remained clear-headed and clinical with razor-sharp reflexes.

Leonard Part 6 (1987)
The doctor explained that when the nerve ends are damaged, it can lead to numbness in the affected area.

Synonyms

nerve ending

vsnerve end

Specialized

9 4.1

A tiny part of the body that sends feelings like touch or pain to the brain

is the terminal part of a fiber that transmits signals generally not only sensations

Surface Forms

nerve end singular

nerve ends plural

Morphology

nerve + end

The meaning is a literal composition of 'nerve' (a bundle of nerve fibers) + 'end' (an outer extremity), i.e. the terminal/extremity part of a nerve fiber. This part-whole, noun+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and non-idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Nerve end comes from a simple picture: the nerve is like a tiny wire and the end is its tip where messages are sent or felt. That's why nerve end means the terminal part of a nerve that helps 'send signals' and 'sense' touch.