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vagus nerve

vagus nerve

2 5.5
A long thin part of the body that sends signals from the brain to the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines
  • noun
  • /ˈveɪɡəs nɜrv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nervio vago
  • The brain sends signals through the vagus nerve to control heart rate and digestion.
  • the vagus nerve regulates
  • the right vagus nerve
  • the artery and vagus nerve

But then we stay connected through the vagus nerve, through the nervous system.

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Examples

  • So the vagus nerve has been considered the healing nerve of the body.

  • And also when you see another being in pain, your vagus nerve becomes very activated.

  • And you have been part of the, the understanding of the vagus nerve for decades.

  • But then we stay connected through the vagus nerve, through the nervous system.

  • The brain then sends information via the vagus nerve back to the heart to slow the heart down.

  • And this works because there's a nerve called the vagus nerve, which helps slow the heart rate down.

  • And by stimulating this vagus nerve, it's possible to have positive therapeutic effects in the body.

  • And also our vagus nerve responds when we see other beings in distress.

  • So when you hum, you're sending signals to the vagus nerve and you're calming your body down.

  • But pacing your breathing, just five slow breaths I've done in the operating room will send calming signals up the vagus nerve to your brain.

Synonyms

vagus
vsvagus nerve
  • Specialized
3 8.9

A nerve in the chest and belly that helps control the heart, lungs, and digestion

is the fuller spoken phrase rather than the brief technical label
wandering nerve
vsvagus nerve
  • Specialized
7.7

A nerve that sends signals to the heart, lungs, stomach, and throat

has identical meaning but does not always mention mixed nerve function
pneumogastric nerve
vsvagus nerve
  • Archaic
7.2

A nerve that connects the brain to the voice box, heart, and stomach

is the same structure but usually called by its common descriptive name
pneumogastric
vsvagus nerve
  • Archaic
9.9

A main nerve that connects the brain to the heart, lungs, and stomach

is the same nerve but most sources use the fuller descriptive term
nervus vagus
vsvagus nerve
  • Specialized
8.2

A nerve that helps control the throat, heart, lungs, and stomach

is identical in meaning but usually expressed in English rather than Latin
tenth cranial nerve
vsvagus nerve
  • Specialized
7.2

A nerve that helps control heart, breathing, voice, and how the body breaks down food

is the same anatomical structure but uses the descriptive everyday name

Surface Forms

vagus nerve singular
vagus nerves plural

Morphology

vagus + nerve

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the parts: 'vagus' denotes a specific nerve involved in heart and digestion regulation and 'nerve' names the biological structure, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the referent. This is a technical, compositional name (parallels exist in many languages), making the expression straightforward rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Vagus nerve comes from the Latin word vagus, which means 'wandering', because this long nerve travels down from the brain and wanders through the chest and belly to reach many organs. That's why the name fits: the vagus nerve connects to and helps control the heart, lungs and digestion.