adj. 1. Directed away from a central organ or section. 2. Carrying impulses from the central nervous system to an effector. n. An efferent organ or body part, such as a blood vessel. [From Latin efferēns, efferent-, present participle of efferre, to carry off : ex-, ex- + ferre, to carry; see bher-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] effer·ent·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.