Psychotropics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Agents that impact mental processes and emotional states through biochemical interactions in the brain
2. Substances that influence brain chemistry to alter emotions, thoughts, or behavior
3. Medicines or drugs that modify psychological functions and are used to treat mental health conditions

Etymology: Psychotropics are named for a Greek verb meaning "to turn." The stem "tropē" (turning, change) comes from "trepō," and in English "-tropic" means "turning toward or acting upon." Added to "psycho-" from Greek "psychē" (soul, mind), the combination describes substances that turn or act upon the mind. The word is a modern coinage built from classical parts, not something the ancient Greeks would have recognised, since they had no concept of drugs acting on brain chemistry. The same "-tropic" element appears in many other scientific terms. "Heliotropic," for instance, describes plants that turn toward the sun, and "tropic" itself, as in the tropics, comes from the Greek idea of a turning point of the sun. Psychotropic, then, joins a family of words where a thing is defined by what it turns or responds to.