What does nervure mean?
A nervure is a vein or vein-like supporting structure, most often one of the branching lines visible in a leaf. In botanical writing, nervures describe the arrangement of veins and may be discussed in terms of their number, pattern, or degree of branching. The word can also refer to the vein-like ribs within an insect's wing. It is more technical and less common than the everyday word vein, but it is especially useful when describing leaf structure precisely. The term comes through French from the Latin nervus, meaning “nerve,” “sinew,” or “fibrous structure,” reflecting the similar appearance and supporting function of leaf veins and insect wing veins.
nounA nervure is a vein in a leaf or an insect's wing. The term is chiefly used in botanical and anatomical description.
- A vein that runs through a leaf, especially one visible on its surface or in its internal structure.
- A vein-like supporting structure in the wing of an insect.
"The pale nervures formed a delicate network across the leaf."
"Each dark nervure branches into finer veins toward the edge of the leaf."
"The insect's delicate wing was strengthened by a network of nervures."
The plural is used when referring to several leaf or wing veins.
"The nervures radiate from the base of the leaf."
Botanists call a leaf's veins nervures—a term that turns an ordinary leaf into a finely mapped landscape.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nervure come from?
Nervure derives from the Latin nervus, meaning “nerve,” “sinew,” or “fibrous structure,” through French. The word was adopted into English for veins in leaves and later extended to comparable vein-like structures in insect wings. Its relatives include nerve, nervous, and neural.
Related word forms
How nervure is actually used
This is primarily a specialist term used in botany, entomology, and anatomical description. In everyday use, vein is more natural.
Easily confused with nervure
A nervure is a specific vein in a leaf or insect wing, whereas a nerve is a strand of nervous tissue carrying signals in an animal.