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Glite Dictionary
saphenous nerve

saphenous nerve

6.7
A thin part of the body that carries feeling from the inner side of the leg and foot
  • noun
  • /ˈsæfɪnəs nɜrv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nervio safeno
  • The saphenous nerve provides sensation to the inner side of the leg.

Examples

  • During the surgery, the doctor carefully avoided damaging the saphenous nerve.

  • The saphenous nerve lies deep in the lower extremity and extends through the sartorius and gracilis muscles.

    Academic text (2002)

  • One branch includes the saphenous nerve.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Patients often experience numbness in their feet due to issues with the saphenous nerve.

Synonyms

nervus saphenus
vssaphenous nerve
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin nerve that gives feeling to the inner side of the lower leg and foot

uses a medical phrase describing sensory supply rather than naming the skin

Surface Forms

saphenous nerve singular
saphenous nerves plural

Morphology

saphenous + nerve

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: if a learner knows 'saphenous' (related to the saphenous vein) and 'nerve' (a bundle of fibers), they can infer this refers to the nerve associated with the saphenous region. Although the term is specialized medical vocabulary, its meaning is compositionally predictable and follows standard anatomical naming conventions found across languages.

Etymology

Saphenous nerve comes from the long vein called the saphenous vein that runs along the inner side of the leg, because the nerve travels next to that visible vein. So the name points to the nerve that gives feeling to the 'inner side' of the leg and foot.