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Glite Dictionary
nervus accessorius

nervus accessorius

9.3
A nerve from the head and spine that controls neck and shoulder muscles
  • noun
  • /ˈnɜrvəs ækˈsɛsəriəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nervio accesorio
  • Damage to the nervus accessorius can cause weakness in certain neck muscles.

Examples

  • The surgeon carefully identified the nervus accessorius during the procedure to avoid nerve injury.

  • In anatomy class, we studied the pathway of the nervus accessorius.

  • The nervus accessorius is crucial for neck movement.

  • In anatomy, the nervus accessorius is often studied.

  • Damage to the nervus accessorius can cause weakness in certain neck muscles.

  • The surgeon carefully identified the nervus accessorius during the procedure to avoid nerve injury.

  • The nervus accessorius is crucial for neck movement.

Synonyms

accessory nerve
vsnervus accessorius
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A nerve that controls some neck and shoulder muscles

means the same structure but uses an alternative technical name
spinal accessory
vsnervus accessorius
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A nerve that controls some muscles in the neck and shoulder

names the same nerve but focuses on its supply function
eleventh cranial nerve
vsnervus accessorius
  • Specialized
7.4

A nerve that helps move the head and lift the shoulder

describes the same nerve but with a different naming emphasis

Surface Forms

nervus accessorius singular
nervi accessorii plural

Morphology

nervus + accessorius

The compound literally combines Latin nervus (nerve) + accessorius (accessory), so its meaning 'accessory nerve' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although the words are Latin, medical/ anatomical Latin is highly cognate with English anatomical vocabulary, making the composition predictable to learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Nervus accessorius comes from Latin: nervus means 'nerve' and accessorius means 'accessory' or 'helper'. Imagine two thin wires, one from the head and one from the spine, joining to form a single helper cable that moves some neck and shoulder muscles, so the name fits the nerve that joins parts and helps those muscles.