Carrying outward; transmitting from a central point or brain to the periphery, especially describing nerves that carry signals from the nervous system to muscles.
From Latin 'efferens' (carrying out), formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'ferre' (to carry). First used in English medical and anatomical texts in the 18th century, it became standard in neurology and physiology.
Efferent vs. afferent is one of those pairs—like 'systole' and 'diastole'—that makes medical vocabulary sound intimidating, but it's really just Latin for 'going out' vs. 'going in,' which is simple once you know it.
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