Nephew Neph"ew (nĕf"u; in England nĕv"u; 277) noun [ Middle English neveu , nevou , nevu , from French neveu , Old French also, nevou , Latin nepos ; akin to Anglo-Saxon nefa , Dutch neef , German neffe , Old High German nevo , Icelandic nefi a kinsman, Greek ne`podes , plural, brood, young, Sanskrit nepāt grandson, descendant. √262. Confer Niece , Nepotism .] 1. A grandson or grandchild, or remoter lineal descendant. [ Obsolete]

But if any widow have children or nephews [ Rev. Ver. grandchildren ].

1 Tim. v. 4.

If naturalists say true that nephews are often liker to their grandfathers than to their fathers.

Jer. Taylor. 2. A cousin. [ Obsolete] Shak. 3. The son of a brother or a sister, or of a brother-in-law or sister-in-law. Chaucer.

Nephilim Neph"i·lim noun plural [ Hebrew nĕphīlīm .] Giants. Gen. vi. 4. Num. xiii. 33.

Nephoscope Neph"o·scope noun [ Greek ... a cloud + -scope .] (Meteorol.) An instrument for observing the clouds and their velocity.

Nephralgia, Nephralgy Ne·phral"gi·a, Ne·phral"gy noun [ New Latin nephralgia , from Greek ... a kidney + ... pain: confer French néphralgie .] (Medicine) Neuralgia of the kidneys; a disease characterized by pain in the region of the kidneys without any structural lesion of the latter. Quain.

Nephridial Ne·phrid"i·al adjective (Zoology & Anat.) Of or pertaining to a nephridium.

Nephridium Ne·phrid"i·um noun ; plural Nephridia . [ New Latin , from Greek ... of the kidneys .] (Zoology & Anat.) A segmental tubule; one of the tubules of the primitive urinogenital organs; a segmental organ. See Illust. under Loeven's larva .

Nephrite Neph"rite noun [ Confer French néphrite . See Nephritis .] (Min.) A hard compact mineral, of a dark green color, formerly worn as a remedy for diseases of the kidneys, whence its name; kidney stone; a kind of jade. See Jade .

Nephritic Ne·phrit"ic noun (Medicine) A medicine adapted to relieve or cure disease of the kidneys.

Nephritic, Nephritical Ne·phrit"ic, Ne·phrit"ic·al adjective [ Latin nephriticus , Greek ...: confer French néphrétique . See Nephritis .] 1. Of or pertaining to the kidneys or urinary organs; renal; as, a nephritic disease. 2. (Medicine) (a) Affected with a disease of the kidneys; as, a nephritic patient. (b) Relieving disorders of the kidneys; affecting the kidneys; as, a nephritic medicine. Nephritic stone (Min.) , nephrite; jade. See Nephrite .

Nephritis Ne·phri"tis noun [ Latin , from Greek ... (sc. ...), from ... a kidney.] (Medicine) An inflammation of the kidneys.

nephrolithic neph`ro·lith"ic adjective [ Greek ... a kidney + -lith + ic .] (Medicine) Of or pertaining to gravel, or renal calculi. Dunglison.

Nephrology Ne·phrol"o·gy noun [ Greek ... a kidney + -logy .] A treatise on, or the science which treats of, the kidneys, and their structure and functions.

Nephrostome Neph"ro·stome noun [ Greek ... a kidney + mouth.] (Zoology & Anat.) The funnel-shaped opening of a nephridium into the body cavity.

Nephrotomy Ne·phrot"o·my noun [ Greek ... a kidney + ... to cut: confer French néphrotomie .] (Surg.) Extraction of stone from the kidney by cutting.

Nepotal Nep"o·tal adjective Of or relating to a nephew.

Nepotic Ne·pot"ic adjective [ See nepotism .] Of or pertaining to nepotism.

The nepotic ambition of the ruling pontiff.

Milman.

Nepotism Nep"o·tism noun [ Latin nepus , nepotus , nephew: confer French népotisme . See Nephew .] Undue attachment to relations; favoritism shown to members of one's family; bestowal of patronage in consideration of relationship, rather than of merit or of legal claim.

From nepotism Alexander V. was safe; for he was without kindred or relatives. But there was another perhaps more fatal nepotism , which turned the tide of popularity against him -- the nepotism of his order.

Milman.

Nepotist Nep"o·tist noun One who practices nepotism.

Neptune Nep"tune noun [ Latin Neptunus .] 1. (Rom. Myth.) The son of Saturn and Ops, the god of the waters, especially of the sea. He is represented as bearing a trident for a scepter. 2. (Astron.) The remotest known planet of our system, discovered -- as a result of the computations of Leverrier, of Paris -- by Galle, of Berlin, September 23, 1846. Its mean distance from the sun is about 2,775,000,000 miles, and its period of revolution is about 164,78 years. Neptune powder , an explosive containing nitroglycerin, -- used in blasting. -- Neptune's cup (Zoology) , a very large, cup-shaped, marine sponge ( Thalassema Neptuni ).

Neptunian Nep·tu"ni·an adjective [ Latin Neptunius belonging to Neptune: confer French neptunien .] 1. Of or pertaining to the ocean or sea. 2. (Geol.) Formed by water or aqueous solution; as, Neptunian rocks. Neptunian races (Ethnol.) , the Malay and Polynesian races. -- Neptunian theory (Geol.) , the theory of Werner, which referred the formation of all rocks and strata to the agency of water; -- opposed to the Plutonic theory.

Neptunian, Neptunist Nep·tu"ni·an, Nep"tu·nist noun [ Confer French neptinien , neptuniste .] (Geol.) One who adopts the Neptunian theory.

Neptunicentric Nep·tu`ni·cen"tric adjective [ Neptune + centric .] (Astron.) As seen from Neptune, or having Neptune as a center; as, Neptunicentric longitude or force.

Neptunium Nep·tu"ni·um noun [ New Latin ] A new metallic element, of doubtful genuineness and uncertain identification, said to exist in certain minerals, as columbite. Hermann.

Ner Ner adverb & adjective Nearer. [ Obsolete] See Nerre .

Nere Nere [ Contr. from ne were .] Were not. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Nereid Ne"re·id noun ; plural English Nereids , Latin Nereides . [ Latin Nereis , -idis , Greek Nhrei:`s Nhrhi:`s , i:`dos , a daughter of Nereus, a nymph of the sea, from Nhrey`s Nereus, an ancient sea god; akin to nhro`s wet, Sanskrit nāra water, confer Greek na`ein to flow.] 1. (Class. Myth.) A sea nymph, one of the daughters of Nereus, who were attendants upon Neptune, and were represented as riding on sea horses, sometimes with the human form entire, and sometimes with the tail of a fish. 2. (Zoology) Any species of Nereis. The word is sometimes used for similar annelids of other families.

Nereidian Ne`re·id"i·an noun (Zoology) Any annelid resembling Nereis, or of the family Lycoridæ or allied families.

Nereis Ne"re·is noun ; plural Nereides . [ Latin ] 1. (Class. Myth.) A Nereid. See Nereid . 2. (Zoology) A genus, including numerous species, of marine chætopod annelids, having a well- formed head, with two pairs of eyes, antennæ, four pairs of tentacles, and a protrusile pharynx, armed with a pair of hooked jaws.

Nereites Ne"re·ites noun plural (Paleon.) Fossil tracks of annelids.

Nereocystis Ne`re·o·cys"tis noun [ New Latin See Nereid , and Cyst .] (Botany) A genus of gigantic seaweeds. » Nereocystis Lutkeana , of the North Pacific, has a stem many fathoms long, terminating in a great vesicle, which is crowned with a tuft of long leaves. The stem is used by the Alaskans for fishing lines.

Nerfling Nerf"ling noun (Zoology) The id.

Nerita Ne·ri"ta noun [ Latin , a sort of sea mussel, Greek ..., ....] (Zoology) A genus of marine gastropods, mostly natives of warm climates.

Nerite Ner"ite noun (Zoology) Any mollusk of the genus Nerita.

Neritina Ner`i·ti"na noun (Zoology) A genus including numerous species of shells resembling Nerita in form. They mostly inhabit brackish water, and are often delicately tinted.

Nerka Ner"ka noun [ Russian niarka , probably from native name.] (Zoology) The most important salmon of Alaska ( Oncorhinchus nerka ), ascending in spring most rivers and lakes from Alaska to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; -- called also red salmon , redfish , blueback , and sawqui .

Nero Ne"ro noun A Roman emperor notorious for debauchery and barbarous cruelty; hence, any profligate and cruel ruler or merciless tyrant. -- Ne*ro"ni*an adjective

Nero-antico Ne`ro-an·ti"co noun [ Italian ; nero black + antico ancient.] (Art) A beautiful black marble found in fragments among Roman ruins, and usually thought to have come from ancient Laconia.

Neroli Ner"o·li noun [ French néroli , said to be from the name of an Italian princess.] (Chemistry) An essential oil obtained by distillation from the flowers of the orange. It has a strong odor, and is used in perfumery, etc. Neroli camphor (Chemistry) , a white crystalline waxy substance, tasteless and odorless, obtained from beroli oil; -- called also auradin .

Nerre Ner"re adverb & adjective [ See Near .] Nearer. [ Obsolete] [ Written also neer , ner .] Chaucer. Never the neer , never the nearer; no nearer. [ Obsolete]

Nervate Nerv"ate adjective (Botany) Nerved.

Nervation Ner·va"tion noun The arrangement of nerves and veins, especially those of leaves; neuration.

The outlines of the fronds of ferns, and their nervation , are frail characters if employed alone for the determination of existing genera.

J. D. Hooker.

Nerve Nerve noun [ Middle English nerfe , French nerf , Latin nervus , akin to Greek ... sinew, nerve; confer ... string, bowstring; perhaps akin to English needle . Confer Neuralgia .] 1. (Anat.) One of the whitish and elastic bundles of fibers, with the accompanying tissues, which transmit nervous impulses between nerve centers and various parts of the animal body. » An ordinary nerve is made up of several bundles of nerve fibers, each bundle inclosed in a special sheath (the perineurium ) and all bound together in a connective tissue sheath and framework (the epineurium ) containing blood vessels and lymphatics. 2. A sinew or a tendon. Pope. 3. Physical force or steadiness; muscular power and control; constitutional vigor.

he led me on to mightiest deeds,
Above the nerve of mortal arm.

Milton. 4. Steadiness and firmness of mind; self- command in personal danger, or under suffering; unshaken courage and endurance; coolness; pluck; resolution. 5. Audacity; assurance. [ Slang] 6. (Botany) One of the principal fibrovascular bundles or ribs of a leaf, especially when these extend straight from the base or the midrib of the leaf. 7. (Zoology) One of the nervures, or veins, in the wings of insects. Nerve cell (Anat.) , one of the nucleated cells with which nerve fibers are connected; a ganglion cell. -- Nerve fiber (Anat.) , one of the fibers of which nerves are made up. These fibers are either medullated or nonmedullated . in both kinds the essential part is the translucent threadlike axis cylinder which is continuous the whole length of the fiber. -- Nerve stretching (Medicine) , the operation of stretching a nerve in order to remedy diseases such as tetanus, which are supposed to be influenced by the condition of the nerve or its connections.

Nerve Nerve transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Nerved ; present participle & verbal noun Nerving .] To give strength or vigor to; to supply with force; as, fear nerved his arm.

Nerve-shaken Nerve"-shak`en adjective Affected by a tremor, or by a nervous disease; weakened; overcome by some violent influence or sensation; shocked.

Nerved Nerved adjective 1. Having nerves of a special character; as, weak- nerved . 2. (Botany) Having nerves, or simple and parallel ribs or veins. Gray.

Nerveless Nerve"less adjective 1. Destitute of nerves. 2. Destitute of strength or of courage; wanting vigor; weak; powerless.

A kingless people for a nerveless state.

Byron.

Awaking, all nerveless , from an ugly dream.

Hawthorne.

Nervelessness Nerve"less·ness noun The state of being nerveless.

Nervimotion Ner`vi·mo"tion noun [ Nerve + motion .] (Physiol.) The movement caused in the sensory organs by external agents and transmitted to the muscles by the nerves. Dunglison.

Nervimotor Ner`vi·mo"tor noun [ Nerve + motor .] (Physiol.) Any agent capable of causing nervimotion. Dunglison.

Nervine Nerv"ine (?; 277) adjective [ Latin nervinus made of sinews: confer French nervin . See Nerve .] (Medicine) Having the quality of acting upon or affecting the nerves; quieting nervous excitement. -- noun A nervine agent.