A form of nerve impulse conduction in which the impulse jumps from one Ranvier's node (gap) to the next, rather than traveling the entire length of the nerve fiber: Saltatory conduction (from the Latin saltare, "to hop" or "to leap") is the transmission of a nerve impulse from node to node (collection of tissue) of a nerve fiber, rather than along the membrane (thin layer of tissue) which is faster than along unmyelinated fibers.