ne rve agent (nerve agents ) N‑VAR A nerve agent is a chemical weapon that affects people's nervous systems.
ne rve cen|tre (nerve centres ) in AM, use nerve center N‑COUNT [usu with poss] The nerve centre of an organization is the place from where its activities are controlled and where its leaders meet. □ [+ of ] My office is the nerve centre of the operation.
ne rve end|ing (nerve endings ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your nerve endings are the millions of points on the surface of your body and inside it which send messages to your brain when you feel sensations such as heat, cold, and pain.
ne rve gas (nerve gases ) N‑VAR Nerve gas is a poisonous gas used in war as a weapon.
ne rve-racking also nerve-wracking ADJ A nerve-racking situation or experience makes you feel very tense and worried. □ They spent a nerve-racking day waiting. □ It was more nerve-wracking than taking a World Cup penalty.
ner|vo|sa /nɜː r voʊ sə/ → see anorexia , bulimia
nerv|ous ◆◇◇ /nɜː r vəs/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is nervous , they are frightened or worried about something that is happening or might happen, and show this in their behaviour. □ [+ about ] The party has become deeply nervous about its prospects of winning the next election. □ She described Mr Hutchinson as nervous and jumpy after his wife's disappearance. [Also + of ] ● nerv|ous|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Brunhilde stood up nervously as the men came into the room. ● nerv|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ I smiled warmly so he wouldn't see my nervousness.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A nervous person is very tense and easily upset. □ She was apparently a very nervous woman, and that affected her career.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A nervous illness or condition is one that affects your emotions and your mental state. □ The number of nervous disorders was rising in the region. □ He developed nervous problems after people began repeatedly correcting him.
ne rv|ous brea k|down (nervous breakdowns ) N‑COUNT If someone has a nervous breakdown , they become extremely depressed and cannot cope with their normal life. □ The stress of the situation led her to have a nervous breakdown.
ne rv|ous sys|tem (nervous systems ) N‑COUNT Your nervous system consists of all the nerves in your body together with your brain and spinal cord.
ne rv|ous wreck (nervous wrecks ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a nervous wreck , you mean that they are extremely nervous or worried about something. □ She was a nervous wreck, crying when anyone asked her about her experience.
nervy /nɜː r vi/
1 ADJ If someone is nervy , their behaviour shows that they are very tense or anxious, or they are the type of person who is easily upset. [mainly BRIT ] □ Alan was irritable, and very evidently in a nervy state.
2 ADJ If you say that someone is nervy , you mean that their behaviour is bold or daring. [AM ] □ John liked him because he was a nervy guy and would go out and shoot anybody who John wanted him to shoot.
SUFFIX -ness
forms nouns that refer to a particular state or quality. For example, gentleness is the state or quality of being gentle.
nest /ne st/ (nests , nesting , nested )
1 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] A bird's nest is the home that it makes to lay its eggs in. □ [+ on ] I can see an eagle's nest on the rocks.
2 VERB When a bird nests somewhere, it builds a nest and settles there to lay its eggs. □ [V ] Some species may nest in close proximity to each other. □ [V -ing] …nesting sites.
3 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] A nest is a home that a group of insects or other creatures make in order to live in and give birth to their young in. □ [+ in ] Some solitary bees make their nests in burrows in the soil. □ …a rat's nest.
4 → see also crow's nest , love nest
5 PHRASE When children fly the nest , they leave their parents' home to live on their own. □ When their children had flown the nest, they moved to a cottage in Dorset.
6 a hornet's nest → see hornet
ne st egg (nest eggs ) also nest-egg N‑COUNT [usu sing] A nest egg is a sum of money that you are saving for a particular purpose. [INFORMAL ] □ They have a little nest egg tucked away somewhere for a rainy day.
nes|tle /ne s ə l/ (nestles , nestling , nestled )
1 VERB If you nestle or are nestled somewhere, you move into a comfortable position, usually by pressing against someone or against something soft. □ [V prep] John took one child into the crook of each arm and let them nestle against him. □ [V n prep] Jade nestled her first child in her arms.
2 VERB If something such as a building nestles somewhere or if it is nestled somewhere, it is in that place and seems safe or sheltered. □ [V prep] Nearby, nestling in the hills, was the children's home. □ [V n prep] She nestled the eggs safely in the straw in Jim's basket.
nest|ling /ne stl I ŋ/ (nestlings ) N‑COUNT A nestling is a young bird that has not yet learned to fly.
net
➊ NOUN AND VERB USES
➋ ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB USES
➊ net ◆◇◇ /ne t/ (nets , netting , netted )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Net is a kind of cloth that you can see through. It is made of very fine threads woven together so that there are small equal spaces between them.