efferent

ef·fer·ent  (fr-nt)

adj.

1. Directed away from a central organ or section.

2. Carrying impulses from the central nervous system to an effector.

n.

An efferent organ or body part, such as a blood vessel.

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[From Latin efferns, efferent-, present participle of efferre, to carry off : ex-, ex- + ferre, to carry; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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effer·ent·ly adv.

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efferent  (fr-nt)

Carrying motor impulses away from a central organ or part, as a nerve that conducts impulses from the central nervous system to the periphery of the body. Compare afferent.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	efferent - a nerve that conveys impulses toward or to muscles or glands efferent nerve, motor nerve anterior horn, anterior root, ventral horn, ventral root - one of two the two roots of a spinal nerve that passes ventrally from the spinal cord and that consists of motor fibers efferent neuron, motoneuron, motor nerve fiber, motor neuron - a neuron conducting impulses outwards from the brain or spinal cord nerve, nervus - any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body efferent fiber, motor fiber - a nerve fiber that carries impulses toward the muscles or glands corticospinal tract, pyramidal motor system, pyramidal tract - any of the important motor nerves on each side of the central nervous system that run from the sensorimotor areas of the cortex through the brainstem to motor neurons of the cranial nerve nuclei and the ventral root of the spinal cord
Adj.	1.	efferent - of nerves and nerve impulses; conveying information away from the CNS; "efferent nerves and impulses" motorial physiology - the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms afferent - of nerves and nerve impulses; conveying sensory information from the sense organs to the CNS; "afferent nerves"; "afferent impulses"