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

: cell body

Examples of nerve cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Mayo Clinic, because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe on their own. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025

Both drugs are monoclonal antibodies that activate the immune system to destroy amyloid protein, which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and damage nerve cells. —Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 23 Jan. 2025

So can nociceptors, nerve cells that sense harmful stimuli—especially if the nociceptors are integrated with other sensory systems in the brain. —Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025

This fatty substance surrounds and protects nerve cells, allowing signals to travel from one nerve to another. —Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

: cell body