nerveless en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈnɜː(ɹ)vləs/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English nerve Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English nerveless From nerve + -less.
Meanings
- Lacking nerve: fearful; cowardly.
- Lacking a nervous system.
-
Devoid of nerves: calm, controlled, cool under pressure.
There was no distracting Rosol's ice-calm as he killed the fifth set and match. Ace, cross-court forehand winner, ace, forehand winner – a blistering eighth game took him to 5-3 and informed Nadal precisely how nerveless the Czech was.
2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian:Little Sea and Desire, blessed, nerveless savages, were sound asleep.
1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 120:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more nerveless | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most nerveless | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |