nerve impulse
- a progressive wave of electric and chemical activity along a nerve fiber that stimulates or inhibits the action of a muscle, gland, or other nerve cell.
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Origin of nerve impulse
First recorded in 1895–1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for nerve impulse
Historical Examples
Now, anything which starts this nerve-impulse is called the stimulus.
The Science of Human NatureWilliam Henry Pyle
The nerve-impulse thus aroused is conveyed to the brain, and there translated into sound.
Spirit and MusicH. Ernest Hunt
It was said in the preceding chapter that when a muscle contracts, it must first receive a nerve-impulse.
The Science of Human NatureWilliam Henry Pyle
In human action it is evident that there is always a stimulus to start the nerve-impulse which causes the action.
The Science of Human NatureWilliam Henry Pyle
The nerve-impulse passing into the fibers of the muscles causes them to contract.
The Science of Human NatureWilliam Henry Pyle
nerve impulse
- the electrical wave transmitted along a nerve fibre, usually following stimulation of the nerve-cell bodySee also action potential
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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
nerve impulse
- A wave of physical and chemical excitation that moves along a nerve fiber in response to a stimulus.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.