nerve cell

noun

1
: a grayish or reddish granular cell with specialized processes that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue transmitting and receiving nerve impulses : neuron
2

Examples of nerve cell in a Sentence

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The actor had publicly revealed nearly one year earlier that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative illness that affects nerve cells and muscle function. Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026 Serotonin is the chemical messenger that ferries signals between nerve cells throughout your body and brain. Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026 The trick is going into the eye to the retina which lines the back [of the eye], like an inner tube, and injecting the material [vector] between the photoreceptor nerve cells and the retinal pigment epithelium cells, which lie underneath. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 4 May 2026 Two years almost to the day of getting a diagnosis of ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that disrupts how nerve cells communicate with the muscles and leads to total paralysis, Nakakihara died at his Laguna Niguel home April 22, surrounded by his wife, Denise, and other family members. Samantha Dunn, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nerve cell

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nerve cell was in 1840

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Cite this Entry

“Nerve cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nerve%20cell. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

nerve cell

noun
: neuron
also : cell body

Medical Definition

nerve cell

noun
1
: a grayish or reddish granular cell with specialized processes that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue : neuron
2

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