nervus — Lewis & Short
nervus, i, m.root snar-; Old Germ. snara, a snare; Gr. neu=ron; cf. parvus and pau=ros,
I a sinew, tendon, nerve.
I Lit.:
his adde nervos, a quibus artus continentur,Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 139:
hoc nervos confirmari putant,Caes. B. G. 6, 20:
nervus qui platys appellatur,Plin. 26, 8, 58, § 90:
hic primum nervos et venas expressit (of Pythagoras the painter),id. 34, 8, 19, § 59:
nervorum contractio,Sen. Ep. 66, 40: nervi quos te/nontas Graeci appellant, Cels. 8, 1:
condamus alter alterum in nervum bracchialem,let us embrace, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 99.—
B Transf.
1 I. q. membrum virile, Hor. Epod. 12, 19; Juv. 10, 205; 9, 35; pl. nervi, Petr. 131, §§ 4 and 6.—
2 A string of a musical instrument:
omnes voces, ut nervi in fidibus, ita sonant, ut, etc.,Cic. de Or. 3, 57, 216:
cotidiano cantu vocum et nervorum et tibiarum tota vicinitas personat,id. Rosc. Am. 46, 134; Verg. A. 9, 776; Hor. C. 3, 11, 4.—
3 A bowstring: reciproca tendens nervo equino concita tela, Att. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 80 Müll. (Trag. Rel. p. 176 Rib.): nervoque obversus equino Contendit telum, Verg. A. 9, 622:
nervo aptare sagittas,id. ib. 10, 131:
erumpit nervo pulsante sagitta,id. G. 4, 313; so Val. Fl. 6, 376; 1, 437; Luc. 7, 141.—
b A bow:
aliquem fallere nervo,Val. Fl. 3, 182.—
4 The leather with which shields were covered:
scuta nervo firmata,Tac. A. 2, 14; Sil. 4, 293.—
5 A thong with which a person was bound, Plaut. Curc. 5, 3, 11; Veg. Mil. 4, 9.—
6 The cords or wires by which a puppet is moved:
duceris ut nervis alienis mobile lignum,Hor. S. 2, 7, 82.—
7 A fetter: nervum appellamus etiam ferreum vinculum, quo pedes impediuntur: quamquam Plautus eo etiam cervices vinciri ait: Perfidiose captus edepol nervo cervices probat, Paul. ex Fest. p. 165 Müll.: VINCITO AVT NERVO, AVT COMPEDIBVS, Lex XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 20, 1: in nervo atque compedibus aetatem agunt, Cato ap. Gell. 11, 18, 18; cf. Plaut. As. 3, 2, 5:
posuit in nervo pedes meos,Vulg. Job, 33, 11.—
b A prison:
in nervum aliquem rapere,Plaut. Capt. 5, 3, 45:
in nervo jacebis,id. Curc. 5, 3, 40; cf. id. Capt. 3, 5, 71:
vereor ne istaec fortitudo in nervum erumpat denique,will lay you by the heels, bring you into durance, Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 10; 4, 4, 15:
eximere de nervo aliquem,Liv. 6, 15, 9:
misit in nervum,Vulg. Jer. 20, 2.—
II Trop.
A Nerve, vigor, force, power, strength:
digna res est ubi tu nervos intendas tuos,Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 20:
onus ... dignum, in quo omnes nervos aetatis industriaeque meae contenderem,Cic. Verr. 1, 12, 35:
omnibus nervis mihi contendendum est, ut, etc.,id. ib. 2, 3, 56, §
130: opibus ac nervis ad perniciem suam uti,Caes. B. G. 1, 20; Cic. Phil. 5, 12, 32:
nervi belli pecunia,id. ib. 5, 2, 5:
vectigalia nervos esse rei publicae,id. Imp. Pomp. 7, 17:
legionum nervos incidere,id. Phil. 12, 3, 8:
poëtae molliunt animos, nervos omnes virtutis elidunt,id. Tusc. 2, 11, 27:
video, fore nervis opus sapientiāque tuā,id. Fam. 3, 10, 1:
loci inhaerentes in nervis causarum,intimately connected with them, id. de Or. 3, 27, 106:
nervi conjurationis,the leaders, Liv. 7, 39, 6.—
B In partic., of expression, force, energy:
horum oratio neque nervos, neque aculeos oratorios ac forenses habet,Cic. Or. 19, 62; cf. id. de Or. 3, 21, 80:
nervi in dicendo,id. ib. 2, 22, 91:
sectantem levia nervi Deficiunt,Hor. A. P. 26.