| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| nervous |
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| SYLLABICATION: | nerv·ous |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  nûr v s |
| ADJECTIVE: | 1a. Of or relating to the nerves or nervous system: nervous tissue. b. Stemming from or affecting the nerves or nervous system: a nervous disorder. 2. Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy. 3. Marked by or having a feeling of unease or apprehension: nervous moments before takeoff. 4. Vigorous in style or feeling; spirited: “the nervous thrust of a modern creation” (Henry A. Kissinger). 5. Archaic Strong; sinewy. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, sinewy, containing nerves, from Latin nerv sus, sinewy, from nervus, sinew. See nerve. | | OTHER FORMS: | nervous·ly —ADVERB
nervous·ness —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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