nerve

Where does the word "nerve" come from? It comes from Latin nervus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Nerve’s story begins in Latin: nervus meant “sinew, tendon.” Related to Greek 'neuron', sinew. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as nerf. Meant tendon, as in 'strain every nerve'. It reached English by 1300s as nerve. The sense 'courage' dates from the 1600s; 'nerves' as anxiety from the 1800s. Today, nerve means a fibre carrying signals in the body; courage.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient nervus "sinew, tendon", related to Greek 'neuron', sinew.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval nerf "sinew", meant tendon, as in 'strain every nerve'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s nerve "sinew", the sense 'courage' dates from the 1600s; 'nerves' as anxiety from the 1800s.