nerve net

American  

noun

1. a diffuse branching network of nerve cells connecting the sensory and muscular cells of coelenterates and primitive flatworms.

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Etymology

Origin of nerve net

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Researchers found that this nerve net forms direct synaptic connections with cells in the aboral organ, creating a pathway for two way communication.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026

"This fascinating finding will open the door for many important discoveries. It will be interesting to reveal the molecular mechanism driving reverse development, and what happens to the animal's nerve net during this process."

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

Instead the cells of their primitive nervous system, known as a nerve net, are fused together, forming a syncytium—“an entirely new way to build a nervous system,” Dunn says.

From Scientific American • May 17, 2023

Groups of cells in the nerve net form nerve cords that may be essential for more rapid transmission.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013