adj. 1 having delicate or disordered nerves. 2 timid or anxious. 3 a excitable; highly strung; easily agitated. b resulting from this temperament (nervous tension; a nervous headache). 4 affecting or acting on the nerves. 5 (foll. by of + verbal noun) reluctant, afraid (am nervous of meeting them). nervous breakdown a period of mental illness, usu. resulting from severe depression or anxiety. nervous system the body's network of specialized cells which transmit nerve impulses between parts of the body (cf. central nervous system, peripheral nervous system). nervous wreck colloq. a person suffering from mental stress, exhaustion, etc. nervously adv. nervousness n.
[ ME f. L nervosus (as NERVE) ]