nerve impulse

noun Physiology.

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.

Origin of nerve impulse

First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nerve impulse

Historical Examples of nerve impulse

Now, anything which starts this nerve-impulse is called the stimulus.
The Science of Human Nature
William Henry Pyle
The nerve-impulse thus aroused is conveyed to the brain, and there translated into sound.
Spirit and Music
H. 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 Nature
William 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 Nature
William Henry Pyle
The nerve-impulse passing into the fibers of the muscles causes them to contract.
The Science of Human Nature
William Henry Pyle

British Dictionary definitions for nerve impulse

nerve impulse

noun

the electrical wave transmitted along a nerve fibre, usually following stimulation of the nerve-cell bodySee also action potential

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 in Medicine

nerve impulse

n.

A wave of physical and chemical excitation that moves along a nerve fiber in response to a stimulus.