afferent

[ af-er-uhnt ]

adjective

1. bringing to or leading toward an organ or part, as a nerve or arteriole ( efferent ).

noun

1. a nerve carrying a message toward the central nervous system.

afferent

/ ˈæfərənt /

adjective

1. bringing or directing inwards to a part or an organ of the body, esp towards the brain or spinal cord Compare efferent

afferent

/ ăf′ər-ənt /

1. Carrying sensory information toward a central organ or part, as a nerve that conducts impulses from the periphery of the body to the central nervous system.
2. Compare efferent

Other Words From

• affer·ent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of afferent¹

1830–40; < Latin afferent- (stem of afferēns, present participle of afferre ), equivalent to af- af- + fer- (stem of ferre to carry) + -ent- -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of afferent¹

C19: from Latin afferre to carry to, from ad- to + ferre to carry

Example Sentences

Fairhurst, for instance, wears more perfume and spends longer washing her hair – “a direct activation” of her C-tactile afferent nerves, she thinks.

From The Guardian

“The C-tactile afferent is the Higgs boson of the social brain. It’s the missing particle that socializes the developing brain. It brings everything else together,” he says.

From Science Magazine

It’s so awkward to act blasé about being naked around other people — people who are also, themselves, naked — that there’s nothing left to do but submit en masse to the social and afferent novelty.

From New York Times

That’s thanks to sophisticated processing of sensory data: first, so-called afferent nerves transmit information from sensors in our fingertips to the spinal cord.

From Nature

In July, it acquired biotech Afferent Pharmaceuticals for about $500 million.

From Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• audiovisual
• auditory
• aural
• neural
• neurological
• olfactory
• sensual
• sonic
• tactile
• visual