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Showing results for afferent. Search instead for afferent+neuron.
Synonyms

afferent

American  
[af-er-uhnt] / ˈæf ər ənt /

adjective

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

noun

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

afferent British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
afferent Scientific  
/ 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 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

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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.

In proprioception, proprioceptive and kinesthetic signals travel through myelinated afferent neurons running from the spinal cord to the medulla.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The branch that enters the glomerulus is called the afferent arteriole.

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

The cortical radiate arteries branch into numerous afferent arterioles, and then enter the capillaries supplying the nephrons.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

There are two divisions of nerves, the afferent and efferent.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry

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.