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oculomotor nerve
noun
: either of the pair of chiefly motor nerves that comprise the third pair of cranial nerves, arise from the midbrain, and supply four muscles of the eye
Examples of oculomotor nerve in a Sentence
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The nerve that controlled the eyelid, called the oculomotor nerve, was the third in this column.
—New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
1861, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near oculomotor nerve
Cite this Entry
“Oculomotor nerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oculomotor%20nerve. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
oculomotor nerve
noun
: either nerve of the third pair of cranial nerves that are motor nerves with some associated autonomic fibers, arise from the midbrain, supply muscles of the eye except the superior oblique and the lateral rectus with motor fibers, and supply the ciliary body and iris with autonomic fibers by way of the ciliary ganglion
called also third cranial nerve
More from Merriam-Webster on oculomotor nerve
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oculomotor nerve
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