Phrase guide

vagus nerve

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Either of the tenth pair of cranial nerves which extend from the medulla oblongata down into the abdomen. Branches of these important nerves supply the tongue, larynx, lungs, gut, and heart.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, neuroanatomy, neurology, neuroscience, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nervus vagus, pneumogastric nerve, tenth cranial nerve, wandering nerve

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a mixed nerve that supplies the pharynx and larynx and lungs and heart and esophagus and stomach and most of the abdominal viscera

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vagus, nervus vagus, pneumogastric, pneumogastric nerve, tenth cranial nerve, wandering nerve

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cranial nerve

History

Etymology

Partial calque of New Latin nervus vagus (literally “wandering nerve”).

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَصَب مُبْهَم (ʕaṣab mubham) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Azerbaijani: azan sinir — tenth cranial nerve
  • Bulgarian: блужда́ещ нерв (bluždáešt nerv) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Catalan: nervi vague — tenth cranial nerve
  • Catalan: nervi pneumogàstric — tenth cranial nerve
  • Chinese Cantonese: 迷走神經 /迷走神经 (mai4 zau2 san4 ging1) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Chinese Mandarin: 迷走神經 /迷走神经 (mízǒu shénjīng) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Czech: bloudivý nerv — tenth cranial nerve
  • Esperanto: vago — tenth cranial nerve
  • Esperanto: vaga nervo — tenth cranial nerve
  • Finnish: kiertäjähermo — tenth cranial nerve
  • Finnish: vagushermo — tenth cranial nerve
  • French: nerf vague — tenth cranial nerve
  • German: Vagusnerv — tenth cranial nerve
  • German: Nervus vagus — tenth cranial nerve
  • German: Vagus — tenth cranial nerve
  • Greek: πνευμονογαστρικό νεύρο (pnevmonogastrikó névro) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Hebrew: הֶעָצָב הַתּוֹעֶה (he-atsav ha-to'eh) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Hebrew: ואגוּס (vagus) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Hungarian: bolygóideg — tenth cranial nerve
  • Italian: nervo vago — tenth cranial nerve
  • Japanese: 迷走神経 (meisōshinkei) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Korean: 미주신경 (mijusin'gyeong) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Northern Kurdish: demarê pîşî-ûrî — tenth cranial nerve
  • Latin: nervus vagus — tenth cranial nerve
  • Persian: عصب واگ ('asab-e vâg) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Polish: nerw błędny — tenth cranial nerve
  • Portuguese: nervo vago — tenth cranial nerve
  • Romanian: nerv vag — tenth cranial nerve
  • Russian: блужда́ющий нерв (bluždájuščij nerv) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Sanskrit: संचार नाडि (saṃcāra nāḍi) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Spanish: nervio vago — tenth cranial nerve
  • Tamil: நரம்பு (narampu) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Telugu: సంచార నాడి (sañcāra nāḍi) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Thai: ประสาทเวกัส — tenth cranial nerve
  • Thai: ประสาทสมองเส้นที่ ๑๐ — tenth cranial nerve
  • Turkish: vagus siniri — tenth cranial nerve
  • Ukrainian: блука́ючий нерв (blukájučyj nerv) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Ukrainian: блу́дний нерв (blúdnyj nerv) — tenth cranial nerve
  • Vietnamese: thần kinh lang thang — tenth cranial nerve