central nervous system
Americannoun
noun
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The part of the nervous system in vertebrate animals that consists of the brain and spinal cord.
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Compare peripheral nervous system
Etymology
Origin of central nervous system
First recorded in 1890–95
Compare meaning
How does central-nervous-system compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers also identified similarities between cat and human cancers affecting the blood, bones, lungs, skin, gastrointestinal system and central nervous system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
The company is developing treatments for chronic pain, working on compounds aimed at offering meaningful pain relief while avoiding the central nervous system effects that come with many existing therapeutics, it says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
They then examined how the compound affected immune activity and inflammatory signaling in the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
Nearly 7,000 people in Wales live with MS, which affects the central nervous system and can cause symptoms including blurred vision and mobility problems.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
In Germany, the effects of Marburg virus on the brain were particularly frightening, and resembled the effects of rabies: the virus somehow damaged the central nervous system and could destroy the brain, as does rabies.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
