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

Uncle Carl, a Marine, had a grip that would crush brick and a stare that would melt pig iron, and never mind this foolishness about an irritated vagus nerve or an overactivated phrenic nerve causing hiccups. —Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 25 May 2024

After a first try with a vagus nerve stimulator, which didn’t work, Dr. Mohamad Khaled and Dr. Patrick Senatus of Hartford HealthCare’s Ayer Neuroscience Institute placed a deep-brain stimulator into Duff’s chest, with leads to a spot in his thalamus. —Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 29 Feb. 2024

Neuroscience says being near greenery soothes the vagus nerve—vagus means wanderer in Latin—which sends good vibes to our vital organs, calming our breathing, digestion, and heart rate. —Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2023

The vagus nerve transports signals between the brain, heart and digestive system. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023

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

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