hypoglossal nerve

hypoglossal nerve (plural hypoglossal nerves)

1. (neuroanatomy) Either of the 12th and final pair of cranial nerves which are motor nerves arising from the medulla oblongata and supplying muscles of the tongue in higher vertebrates.

   Coordinate terms: olfactory nerve, optic nerve, oculomotor nerve, trochlear nerve, trigeminal nerve, abducens nerve, facial nerve, vestibulocochlear nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, accessory nerve

• “hypoglossal nerve”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “hypoglossal nerve”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.