cranial nerve

noun

: any of the nerves that arise in pairs from the lower surface of the brain one on each side and pass through openings in the skull to the periphery of the body and that comprise 12 pairs in reptiles, birds, and mammals and usually 10 in fishes and amphibians

Examples of cranial nerve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The vagus nerves are among a dozen major cranial nerve pairs. —IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2019

This sudden pain may result from irritation to the glossopharyngeal nerve (one of the four cranial nerves), which runs from the brain stem through the tonsils and along your ears. —Sarah Hudgens, Health, 5 Oct. 2024

It’s caused by inflammation of the facial nerve called cranial nerve 7. —Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2024

The hormone also can latch on to receptors on the vagus nerve—a long cranial nerve that shuttles messages between the brain and organs throughout the body. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 25 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cranial nerve

noun

: any of the paired nerves that arise from the lower surface of the brain and pass through openings in the skull

Medical Definition

cranial nerve

noun

: any of the 12 paired nerves that arise from the lower surface of the brain with one of each pair on each side and pass through openings in the skull to the periphery of the body see abducens nerve, accessory nerve, auditory nerve, facial nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, hypoglossal nerve, oculomotor nerve, olfactory nerve, optic nerve, trigeminal nerve, trochlear nerve, vagus nerve