Definition of AFFERENT

afferent

Plural: afferents

Noun

  • A nerve that carries impulses toward the central nervous system.
  • a nerve that passes impulses from receptors toward or to the central nervous system
  • An afferent structure or connection

Adjective

  • of nerves and nerve impulses; conveying sensory information from the sense organs to the CNS
    • "afferent nerves"
    • "afferent impulses"

Adj

  • Carrying towards.

Examples

  • An afferent nerve carries impulses from the body to the brain.
  • My afferent nerves lit up when I realized I could play a bingo.

Origin / Etymology

From Latin adferens (“bringing to”), present participle of adferre (“to bring to”), from ad (“to, toward”) + ferre (“to carry, bear”).

Synonyms

afferent nerve, sensory nerve

Antonyms

efferent

Scrabble Score: 14

afferent: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
afferent: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
afferent: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

afferent: valid Words With Friends Word