afferent
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
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.
-
Compare efferent
Other Word Forms
- afferently adverb
Etymology
Origin of afferent
1830–40; < Latin afferent- (stem of afferēns, present participle of afferre ), equivalent to af- af- + fer- (stem of ferre to carry) + -ent- -ent
Compare meaning
How does afferent compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They constrict the afferent arterioles, causing the flow of blood into the nephrons to stop.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
These again split to form arcuate arteries, from which cortical radiate arteries radiate out and branch into many afferent arterioles that enter the capillaries supplying the nephrons.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Stimulation of the sensory receptor activates the associated afferent neuron, which carries information about the stimulus to the central nervous system.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
The branch that enters the glomerulus is called the afferent arteriole.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
These four afferent branchial arches are equivalent to the first four of the five vessels of the dog-fish.
From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
