Meaning

adjective being in a tense state

adjective showing or requiring courage and contempt of danger

adjective offensively bold

originEtymology tree English nerve Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English nervy From nerve + -y.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0