definitions

accessory nerve

noun Anatomy.

either one of the eleventh pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers from the spinal cord that innervate the pharyngeal, trapezius, and sternocleidomastoid muscles, and motor fibers from the brain that join the vagus to innervate the thoracic and abdominal viscera.

RELATED CONTENT

Medical Terms You Didn’t Know ExistedThese 10 weird medical terms need to be added to your vernacular faster than you can say "diagnosis."
READ MORE
LyricaRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Nearby words

accessory fruit, accessory gland, accessory hemiazygos vein, accessory ligament, accessory mineral, accessory nerve, accessory obturator artery, accessory pancreatic duct, accessory phrenic nerve, accessory pigment, accessory saphenous vein

Origin of accessory nerve

First recorded in 1835–45
Also called spinal accessory nerve.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for accessory nerve

accessory nerve

noun

either one of the eleventh pair of cranial nerves, which supply the muscles of the head, shoulders, larynx, and pharynx and the viscera of the abdomen and thorax
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for accessory nerve

accessory nerve

n.

A nerve that arises by two sets of roots: the cranial set, arising from the side of the medulla, and the spinal set, arising from the ventrolateral part of the first five cervical segments of the spinal cord. These two roots form the accessory nerve trunk, which divides into two branches: the internal, which unites with the vagus nerve in the jugular foramen and supplies the muscles of the pharynx, larynx, and soft palate; and the external, which continues through the jugular foramen to supply the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles.eleventh cranial nerve
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.