olfactory nerve

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. either one of the first pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct to the brain the impulses from the mucous membranes of the nose.

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olfactory nerve British  

noun

1. either one of the first pair of cranial nerves, supplying the mucous membrane of the nose

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olfactory nerve Scientific  

1. Either of the first pair of cranial nerves that carries sensory information relating to smell from the nose to the brain.

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Etymology

Origin of olfactory nerve

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

That inflammation could explain why the samples from the smell-loss group had substantially fewer olfactory nerve cells, the “key cells” for smelling, Goldstein said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2022

Still other researchers study how the virus attacks the olfactory nerve, which conveys smell sensations to the brain.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2022

For example, the olfactory nerve transmits information about smells from the nose to the brainstem.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The practice was tacitly accepted because it could yield valuable insights — Hunter discovered the tear ducts and the olfactory nerve, among other things — but the human toll was horrifying nonetheless.

From Salon • Aug. 1, 2021

The olfactory nerve enters the cavity of the orbit and is developed into the special sense of hearing.

From What Is Man? and Other Essays by Twain, Mark