nerve net

noun

1. a diffuse branching network of nerve cells connecting the sensory and muscular cells of coelenterates and primitive flatworms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nerve net¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

"This fascinating finding will open the door for many important discoveries. It will be interesting to reveal the molecular mechanism driving reverse development, and what happens to the animal's nerve net during this process."

From Salon

Instead the cells of their primitive nervous system, known as a nerve net, are fused together, forming a syncytium—“an entirely new way to build a nervous system,” Dunn says.

From Scientific American

The finding is the first documented example of sleep in an animal with a diffuse nerve net, a system of neurons that are spread throughout an organism and not organized around a brain.

From New York Times

Each may feed and spawn independently, but they’re also all connected by tissue and by a kind of nervous system called a nerve net.

From Washington Post