nervous

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Worried or slightly frightened about something.

   I always feel nervous before an exam.

2. 2
   adj

   Easily worried or upset.

   He is a nervous person who jumps at every sound.

3. 3
   adj

   Relating to the nerves or the nervous system of the body.

   The doctor specializes in nervous diseases.

Common collocations

• nervous laugh Adjective + noun

From Middle English nervous (“composed of or incorporating nerves”), from Latin nervōsus (“nervous; sinewy; energetic, vigorous”), from nervus (“nerve; muscle; sinew, tendon; (figuratively) energy, power; nerve; force, strength, vigour”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). The English word is analysable as nerve + -ous.

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