Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “neurosis” come from?

Neurosis comes from Ancient Greek -ωσις, a suffix denoting a condition or process, combined with Ancient Greek νεῦρον meaning nerve, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European snḗh₁wr̥ and (s)neh₁-.

neurosis (English): A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis,...

Definitions

  1. A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis,...

Ancestry of “neurosis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNeuro-—
2Ancient Greekνευρο-—
3Ancient Greekνεῦρονsinew, tendon; cord, of a slingshot, bowstring;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeansnéh₁wr̥sinew, tendon
5Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₁-to spin , to sew

Words derived from “neurosis”

  • neuroses
  • psychoneurosis
  • angioneurosis
  • neurosal
  • aeroneurosis
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- →