accessory nerve

noun

Either of a pair of motor nerves that are the 11th cranial nerve of higher vertebrates, arise from the medulla oblongata and the upper part of the spinal cord, controlling the pharynx and the muscles of the upper chest, back and shoulders.

Similar
spinal accessorynervus accessoriuseleventh cranial nerve
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Meanings

nounaccessory nerve (plural accessory nerves)

plural accessory nerves

  1. anatomyEither of a pair of motor nerves that are the 11th cranial nerve of higher vertebrates, arise from the medulla oblongata and the upper part of the spinal cord, controlling the pharynx and the muscles of the upper chest, back and shoulders.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounarises from two sets of roots (cranial and spinal) that unite to form the nerve

Similar
spinal accessorynervus accessoriuseleventh cranial nerve
Broader
cranial nerve
Also see
eleventh cranial nerve

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 副神經 /副神经
  • 副神經 /副神经 (fùshénjīng)the 11th cranial nerve
Finnish lisähermo
  • lisähermothe 11th cranial nerve
Hungarian járulékos ideg
  • járulékos idegthe 11th cranial nerve
Polish nerw dodatkowy
  • nerw dodatkowythe 11th cranial nerve
Cite this entry
APA

accessory nerve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accessory%20nerve

MLA

“accessory nerve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accessory%20nerve. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “accessory nerve,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accessory%20nerve.

Source: accessory nerve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.