Neurologic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the science that studies the anatomy, functions, and diseases of the nervous system, often involving brain and spinal cord issues
2. Concerning the medical field that examines and addresses disorders affecting the nervous system, including both central and peripheral components
3. Relating to the branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the nervous system, including both the brain and the spinal cord

Etymology: "Neurologic" is simply "neurology" with the adjectival ending "-ic" attached. The ending traces back through Latin "-icus" and Greek "-ikos", a suffix meaning "relating to" or "having the character of," and it reached English through Old French before arriving as the Middle English form "-ik." The base word, "neurology," is built from Greek "neuron," meaning "sinew" or "nerve," combined with "-logia," the study of something. The Greek "neuron" originally referred to sinews and tendons rather than the nerves we now mean by the term. The sense shifted over centuries of anatomical study, so the word that now names the brain-and-spinal-cord science once described the tough fibrous tissues that bind muscle to bone.

Synonyms: neurological, nervous, cerebral, brain-related, neural