Definition

One of the sixth pair of nerves in the brain that helps control the movement of the eye by sending signals to a specific muscle on the outer side of each eye.

Example

The abducens nerve is responsible for controlling lateral eye movement.

Conversation

I was reading about the human body, and I came across the term abducens nerve.

Oh really? What does it do?

It actually controls the movement of the eye muscles on the side.

That’s interesting! I didn’t know nerves could have such specific functions.

Root Explanation

**Abducens** → It is derived from "ab-" (meaning away) and "ducere" (meaning to lead). The term refers to the action of leading away, particularly in a physiological context where it describes a muscle that moves a part of the body away from the midline.

Memory Tip

Think of 'leading away' — 'ab-' means away, and 'ducere' means to lead. This helps you remember that 'abducens' refers to something that leads away.

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