vagus nerve

noun

va·​gus nerve ˈvā-gəs- 

: either of the 10th pair of cranial nerves that arise from the medulla oblongata and supply chiefly the viscera especially with autonomic sensory and motor fibers

called also vagus

Examples of vagus nerve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Breathwork also activates the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in mood and anxiety regulation. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

The vagus nerve is the core nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system that governs all rest and recovery activities of the entire body. —Anna Haines, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

The team found that each vagus nerve fiber connected to only one organ in the gut, rather than branching to many different organs as some had predicted. —Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2025

This part of the autonomic nervous system is activated by the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the heart and other organs. —Md Published, Verywell Health, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin vagus nervus, literally, "wandering nerve,"; so called from its multiplicity of connecting points in the neck, thorax, and abdomen — more at vague

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vagus nerve

• conserve
• deserve
• manoeuvre
• observe
• preserve
• reserve
• subserve
• curve
• mirv
• serve
• swerve
• verve

Medical Definition

vagus nerve

noun

: either of the tenth pair of cranial nerves that arise from the medulla and supply chiefly the viscera especially with autonomic sensory and motor fibers

called also pneumogastric nerve, tenth cranial nerve, vagus