Meanings
nounphrenic nerve (plural phrenic nerves)
plural phrenic nerves
- anatomyA nerve that arises mainly from the fourth cervical nerve and is primarily the motor nerve of the diaphragm but also sends sensory fibers to the pericardium.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounone of a pair of nerves that arises from cervical spinal roots and passes down the thorax to innervate the diaphragm and control breathing
Similar
nervus phrenicus
Broader
spinal nervenervus spinalis
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
phrenic nerve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phrenic%20nerve
MLA
“phrenic nerve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phrenic%20nerve. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phrenic nerve,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phrenic%20nerve.
Source: phrenic nerve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.