1823 W. Percivall Series Elem. Lect. Vet. Art I. xi. 169 Neurotomy—for so we take the liberty to name an operation, hitherto called, (and we cannot help thinking with equal impropriety,) sometimes nerving, sometimes unnerving.

1870 Country Gentleman's Mag. 4 227/2 Giving way of the flexor tendon below the fetlock joint is a very common result of the operation of unnerving.

1922 N. Amer. Veterinarian 3 614/2 A last resort in cases of ringbone lameness..consists in unnerving.

1987 E. H. Edwards & C. Geddes Compl. Horse Bk. (new ed.) v. 167/2 True ringbone is incurable and the prognosis always grave, although unnerving may enable the horse to continue work.

1722 W. Hamilton Life of Sir William Wallace v. 83 And sure while Scotia's Enemies remain, Unnerving Love should ever sue in Vain.

1744 P. Whitehead Gymnasiad iii. 31 He alas! had felt th' unnerving Blow.

1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 7 The mystic tribes of night's unnerving breeze.

1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders 354 I had that sense of being hunted, which comes so quickly and is so unnerving.

1917 F. L. Packard Adventures Jimmy Dale ii. iv. 345 That stillness, weird, unnerving, that permeated..everywhere.

1962 T. B. Ross & D. Wise U-2 Affair iii. 30 An unnerving thought struck as he reached out to dial, and he placed the receiver back on its cradle.

2001 Financial Times 24 Mar. 14 Turbulence in global stockmarkets is unnerving for investors.