The ways in which the words can be meaningfully combined is defined by the language's syntax and grammar. The actual meaning of words and combinations of words is defined by the language's semantics.
A nerve impulse is an electrical signal that travels along an axon. There is an electrical difference between the inside of the axon and its surroundings, like a tiny battery. When the nerve is activated, there is a sudden change in the voltage across the wall of the axon, caused by the movement of ions in and out of the neuron.
Nerve impulse. (1) The movement of action potential along a nerve fiber in response to a stimulus (such as touch, pain, heat or cold). (2) The relaying of a coded signal that travels along a nerve cell membrane to an effector, such as muscle, gland or another nerve cell. Supplement. A nerve impulse is the relaying of a coded signal from a nerve cell to an effector (a muscle cell, a gland cell or another nerve cell) in response to a stimulus. It is the means by which a nerve cell communicates with another cell.