nervous

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   easily agitated

   a nervous addict

2. 2
   adj

   of or relating to the nervous system

   nervous disease

3. 3
   adj

   unpredictably excitable (especially of horses)

4. 4
   adj

   excited in anticipation

5. 5
   adj

   causing or fraught with or showing anxiety

6. 6
   adj

   Of sinews and tendons.

7. 7
   adj

   Of nerves.

Etymology

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.