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nerve fiber

nerve fiber

4 3.4
A long thin part of a nerve cell that sends electrical signals
  • noun
  • /nɜrv ˈfaɪbər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fibra nerviosa
  • More stress sensors can be added to nerve fibers until they become so sensitive that even light touches to the skin spark intense electrical signals.
  • afferent nerve fibers
  • myelinated nerve fibers
  • efferent nerve fibers

So we have nerve fibers that run throughout our whole body.

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Examples

  • After the initial exposure, herpes zoster lies dormant in certain nerve fibers.

    Academic text (2005)
  • So we have nerve fibers that run throughout our whole body.

  • We have two different kinds of touch nerve fiber in our body, fast ones and slow ones.

  • Outer hair cells are in contact with two types of nerve fibers.

    Academic text (1998)
  • So individual nerve fibers contact a single hair cell in your cochlea.

  • Type I hair cells are flask-shaped and connected to a single large afferent nerve fiber.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Her brain also shows differences in white matter, the bundles of nerve fibers that connect one region.

    Blog text (21)
  • A group of nerve fibers interconnecting the right hemisphere and left hemisphere is the corpus callosum.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Two types of nerve fibers (A-delta fibers and C-fibers) carry nociceptive stimuli to the spinal cord.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Touch receptors in our skin contain specialized nerve fibers that transmit sensations rapidly.

Synonyms

neurite
vsnerve fiber
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A thin part of a nerve cell that grows out and carries signals

is a more general nontechnical term for the same projection

How Big

spinal cord
  • Specialized
59 3.4
nerve
  • Specialized
367 3.5
lumbar nerve
  • Specialized
5.8
nerve fiber
  • Specialized
4 3.4
nerve ending
  • Specialized
9 4.1

Surface Forms

nerve fiber singular
nerve fibres plural
nerve fibers plural

Morphology

nerve + fiber

The meaning of 'nerve fiber' is directly compositionally derived from 'nerve' (relating to the nervous system) and 'fiber' (an elongated threadlike part), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the slender threadlike part of a nerve that conducts impulses. This noun+noun compounding is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and therefore readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Nerve fiber comes from comparing a thin part of a nerve to a 'thread' or fiber, a thin string. So it gives the image of a long, thin 'thread' that carries signals, which is why the term means 'a long, thin part of a nerve that sends signals'.