Where does “nervous” come from?

nervous (English) comes from Middle English nervous, from Latin nervosus, from Latin nervus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)new-.

nervous (English): "Of sinews and tendons."; "Of nerves."

Definitions

  1. "Of sinews and tendons."; "Of nerves."

Ancestry of “nervous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnervouscontaining nerves; made up of nerve-like fibres;...
2Latinnervosussinewy; nervous; vigorous, energetic
3LatinnervusA sinew, tendon, nerve, muscle; A cord, string or...
4Proto-Indo-European(s)new-—

Words derived from “nervous”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)new- →Every word from Latin nervus →Every word from Latin nervosus →