Carrying away. Afferent comes from the Latin "ad", toward + "ferre", to bear = to carry toward. A vein is an afferent vessel since it carries blood toward from the heart. An afferent nerve carries impulses toward the central nervous system. The opposite of afferent is efferent.
AFFERENT
Meaning of AFFERENT in English
English dictionary of medicine. Английский словарь медицины. 2012