Sciatics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to the condition involving pain, numbness, or discomfort along the sciatic nerve pathway, often caused by irritation or compression of the nerve
2. Describing symptoms or medical issues related to the sciatic nerve, including radiating pain from the lower back through the hips and down the legs
3. Pertaining to the nerve inflammation or disorder that results in leg pain and weakness due to sciatic nerve impairment or pressure

Etymology: "Sciatics" is simply the plural of "sciatic," used as a noun for pain along the sciatic nerve. The adjective "sciatic" came into English through Middle French "sciatique," which descends from Late Latin "sciaticus," itself a variant of "ischiadicus." That Latin form was taken from Ancient Greek "iskhiadikós," meaning "of the hip," built from "iskhíon," "hip." The hip is the clue to the whole word. The sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body, runs from the lower back and through the buttock, so pain along its path was named for the region where it is felt most strongly. Ancient Greek physicians already used "iskhiás" for hip disease and pain in the hip, and the Latin and French forms carried that hip association forward.

Synonyms: sciatic nerves