Psychotropic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌsaɪkəˈtɹɒpɪk/

Definitions

1. A category of substances that influence mental states by altering perception, mood, and consciousness through interactions with the brain's chemistry
2. Referring to any agent that can change psychological conditions, perceptions, and mental clarity by acting on the nervous system
3. Relating to substances that modify mental functions or emotional states by acting on the brain

Etymology: Psychotropic is a modern scientific coinage, built from two Greek elements that are far older than the word itself. The first, "psūkhē," meant "soul," "breath," or "life" in ancient Greek, and it gave English the prefix "psycho-." The second is "tropē," from the verb "trepō," meaning "to turn" or "to turn toward," which also lies behind "tropic" and "trope." The Greek adjective "tropikos" meant "relating to a turning," and English borrowed the "-tropic" ending from it. The word was assembled in English from these parts, so the ancient Greeks never used it, and it describes a effect that was unknown to them. Its meaning is literal in the Greek sense: a psychotropic substance is one that "turns" the mind, shifting perception, mood, and consciousness. Medical and pharmacological writers needed a single term for drugs of this kind, and the combination of "psycho-" and "-tropic" produced one that sounds technical while remaining transparent.

Synonyms: mind-altering, psychoactive

Antonyms: non-psychotropic