Nature and Uses of Primary Data Sources Page 1 of 14 ______________________________________________________________________.
cranial nerve - any of the 12 paired nerves that originate in the brain stem. 1  nerve, nervus - any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body. 2  first cranial nerve, nervii olfactorii, olfactory nerve - a collective term for numerous olfactory filaments in the nasal mucosa.
Cranial nerves: The nerves of the brain, which emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium), as opposed to the spinal nerves, which emerge from the vertebral column. There are 12 cranial nerves, each of which is accorded a Roman numeral and a name: 1  Cranial nerve I: the olfactory nerve. 2  Cranial nerve II: the optic nerve. 3  Cranial nerve III: the oculomotor nerve. 4  Cranial nerve IV: the trochlear nerve. 5  Cranial nerve V: the trigeminal nerve. 6  Cranial nerve VI: the abducent nerve.