Emily Dickinson Lexicon

NERF'LING, n.

A fresh-water fish of Germany, of the leather-mouthed kind, and apparently a variety of the rudd. Dict. Nat. Hist.

NER'ITE, n.

A genus of univalvular shells.

NERIT-ITE, n.

A petrified shell of the genus Nerita.

NER'O-LI, n.

The essential oil of orange flowers, procured by distillation. Ure.

NERVE, n.

1. nerv [L. nervus; Fr. nerf; W. nerth, strength; Gr. {foreign}, nerve; probably allied to {foreign}, a man, L. vir Pers. {foreign} nar, the male of any animal; Sans. nat, a man. In Welsh, ner denotes one that possesses self-energy, an hence an epithet of God.]
2. An organ of sensation and motion in animals. The nerve are prolongations of the medullary substance of the bran epinal cord, and semilunar ganglion, which ramify and tend to every part of the body. Encyc. Parr.
3. A sinew or tendon. Pope.
4. Strength; firmness of body; as, a man of nerve.
5. Fortitude; firmness of mind; courage.
6. Strength; force; authority; as, the nerves of discipline. Gibbon.

NERVE, v.t.

To give strength or vigor; to arm with force; as, fear nerved his arm. Ames.

NERVED, pp.

1. Armed with strength.
2. adj. In botany, having vessels simple and unbranched, extending from the base to the tip; as, a nerved leaf.

NERVE-LESS, a. nerv'less.

Destitute of strength; weak. Pope.

NERVES, n. plur.

In botany, parallel veins in a leaf, which extend from the base to the apex.

NERVE'SIUK-EN, a.

1. Affected by a shaking. See,
2. Shocked; overcome or oppressed by some violent intlat. ence, impression, or sensation.

NERV'INE, a. [Low L. nervinus.]

That has the quality of acting upon the nerves.

NERVINE, n.

A medicine that operates upon the nerves.

NERVOUS, or NERV'OSE, a.

In botany. [See Nerved, No. 2.]

NERV'OUS, a. [L. nervosus.]

1. Strong; vigorous; as, a nervous ann.
2. Pertaining to the nerves; seated in or affecting the nerves; as, a nervous disease or fever.
3. Having the nerves affected; hypochondriac; a colloquial use of the word.
4. Possessing or manifesting vigor of mind; characterized by strength; in sentiment or style; as, a nervous historian. Adams.

NERVOUS-LY, adv.

With strength or vigor. Warton.

NERVOUS-NESS, n.

1. Strength; force; vigor. 1Vartoa.
2. The state of being composed of nerves, Goldsmith.

NERVY, a.

Strong; vigorous. Shak.

NES-CIENCE, n. nesh'ens. [L. nesciens, nescio; ne and scio.]

Want of knowledge; ignorance. Bp. Hall.

NESH, a. [Sax. nesc.]

Soft; tender; nice. [Not used.] Chaucer.

NESS,

a termination of appellatives, [Sax. nesse, nysse,] denotes state or quality, as in goodness, greatness.

NESS,

a termination of names, signifies a promontory, from the root of nose, which see.

NEST, n.

In geology, a term applied to detached included masses of a particular mineral or rock. Percival.

NEST, n. [Sax. nest, G. and D. nest; Sw. niiste; W. nyth; L. nidus; Fr. nid; It. and Sp. nido; Arm. nees; Ir. nead; RUSS. gnizdo; Gr. {foreign}, {foreign}, swans, unless the latter are from sees. In Persic, nisim is a nest, nashiman, mansion, and nishashtan, to sit down, to dwell or remain.]

1. The place or bed formed or used by a bird for incubation or the mansion of her young, until they are able to fly. The word is used also for the bed in which certain insects deposit their eggs.
2. Any place where irrational animals are produced. Bentley.
3. An abode; a place of residence; a receptacle of numbers, or the collection itself; usually in an ill sense; as, a nest of rogues.
4. A warm close place of abode; generally in contempt. Spenser.
5. A number of boxes, cases or the like, inserted in each other.

NEST, v.i.

To build and occupy a nest. The king of birds nested with its leaves. Howell.

NEST'EGG, n.

An egg left in the nest to prevent the hen from forsaking it. Hudibras.