vagus nerve

noun

va·​gus nerve ˈvā-gəs- 

: either of the 10th pair of cranial nerves that arise from the medulla oblongata and supply chiefly the viscera especially with autonomic sensory and motor fibers

called also vagus

Examples of vagus nerve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The primary function of the vagus nerve is to dampen the body’s responses. —R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2024

These techniques include breathwork that stimulates the vagus nerve and cognitive practices that stop habitual coping patterns. —Liz Kislik, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

So powerful is its influence, the vagus nerve can literally stop the beating heart. —R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2024

Research decades ago suggested that the vagus nerve controls inflammatory responses — pointing to a body-brain connection. —Esther Landhuis, Quanta Magazine, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin vagus nervus, literally, "wandering nerve,"; so called from its multiplicity of connecting points in the neck, thorax, and abdomen — more at vague

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

vagus nerve

noun

: either of the tenth pair of cranial nerves that arise from the medulla and supply chiefly the viscera especially with autonomic sensory and motor fibers

called also pneumogastric nerve, tenth cranial nerve, vagus