olfactory nerve
1
5.8
- noun
- /ɔlˈfæktəri nɜrv/
- Specialized
:
nervio olfativo
- The lifelong inability to smell, called congenital anosmia, is different from the smell destruction that can stem from trauma to the brain, olfactory nerve, or sinus cavity.
Examples
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The putrid stench of decay lit into his olfactory nerve.
Fiction book (2000) -
A bulging vein, dangerously fragile, had pressed hard against a branch of the olfactory nerve.
Fiction book (1998) -
My olfactory nerves are compromised.
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I use electromagnetic waves to stimulate their olfactory nerve center.
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Why couldn't my olfactory nerves be paralyzed?
Fiction book (1991) -
Everything points to arachnoid adhesions involving the olfactory nerve in the brain.
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The olfactory nerve uses cilia to detect odors.
Blog text (2) -
The olfactory nerve carries signals from the nasal cavity to the brain, enabling us to perceive different smells.
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Damage to the olfactory nerve can lead to a decreased sense of smell, impacting a person's ability to enjoy food.
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Researchers study the olfactory nerve to understand how we detect various scents and their effects on memory.
Synonyms
A nerve in the head that carries smell from the nose to the brain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the nerve that transmits smell information' is directly and transparently derived from 'olfactory' (connected with smell) + 'nerve' (bundle of nerve fibers). This is a straightforward anatomical compound following regular composition patterns (found across many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Olfactory nerve comes from Latin: olfactory means 'to smell' and nerve was used for a 'cord' that carries messages. So imagine a thin cord running from the nose to the brain that carries smell messages, and that is why the term means the nerve that sends smell information.