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Glite Dictionary
trochlear nerve

trochlear nerve

1 7.2
A part of the body that controls an eye muscle to move the eye down and to the side
  • noun
  • /ˈtrɒkliər nɜrv/
  • Specialized
: nervio troclear
  • Damage to the trochlear nerve can result in double vision and difficulty moving the eye downward.

Examples

  • The ophthalmologist tested the function of the patient's trochlear nerve during the eye exam.

  • Each trochlear nerve controls the superior oblique muscle.

  • A lesion affecting the trochlear nerve may cause the affected eye to drift upward.

  • The trochlear nerve is essential for eye movement.

  • Damage to the trochlear nerve can result in double vision and difficulty moving the eye downward.

  • The ophthalmologist tested the function of the patient's trochlear nerve during the eye exam.

  • A lesion affecting the trochlear nerve may cause the affected eye to drift upward.

Synonyms

trochlear
vstrochlear nerve
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A nerve in the head that moves an eye muscle to turn the eye down and in

emphasizes that it enables downward and lateral eye movements
fourth cranial nerve
vstrochlear nerve
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A nerve that controls a top eye muscle and helps the eye look down

gives specific downward and lateral movements rather than vague movement allowance
trochlearis
vstrochlear nerve
  • Specialized
9.9

A nerve in the head that controls the top slanted eye muscle and helps you look down

specifies it causes downward and lateral movement of the eye

Surface Forms

trochlear nerve singular
trochlear nerves plural

Morphology

trochlear + nerve

This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'trochlear' specifies the type of 'nerve', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the nerve that is trochlear. Medical naming follows the same modifier+noun pattern cross-linguistically, so the meaning is derivable from the parts rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Trochlear nerve comes from the word trochlea, which means a small 'pulley' in the eye that a muscle runs over. That pulley helps the eye look down and to the side, so the trochlear nerve is the nerve that controls that muscle.