central nervous system

noun

: the part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system compare peripheral nervous system

Examples of central nervous system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While acetaminophen is thought to work only on the central nervous system, NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (like Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (like Aleve) work throughout the body to reduce inflammation, pain and fever. —Andee Tagle, NPR, 18 Apr. 2025

Then there was the transition to multicellular organisms (around 2 billion to 1.6 billion years ago), the abrupt diversification of body forms in the Cambrian explosion (540 million years ago), and the appearance of central nervous systems (around 600 million to 520 million years ago). —Quanta Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025

Optimizing The Customer Service Management Solution An organization’s customer service management (CSM) solution is much like the body’s central nervous system. —Rohan Joshi, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The company aims to restore the function of microglia, which are immune cells in the brain that help maintain central nervous system health. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for central nervous system

• cryptosystem
• ecosystem
• intersystem
• multisystem
• photosystem
• subsystem

Kids Definition

central nervous system

noun

: the part of the nervous system that in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord

Medical Definition

central nervous system

noun

: the part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which supervises and coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system compare autonomic nervous system, peripheral nervous system