Where does “neurotoxic” come from?
Neurotoxic combines the prefix neuro- with toxic, which derives from French toxique, Latin toxicus, and Ancient Greek τοξικός, meaning of or relating to a bow or arrows, later applied to poison on arrows.
neurotoxic (English): Having a toxic effect on nerve tissue
Definitions
- Having a toxic effect on nerve tissue
Ancestry of “neurotoxic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toxic | Having a chemical nature that is harmful to... |
| 2 | French | toxique | toxic |
| 3 | Latin | toxicus | toxic; poisonous |
| 4 | Latin | toxicum | a poison used on the tips of arrows; any poison |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τοξικόν | poison used on the tips of arrows |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τοξικός | of or for the bow; skilled in the use of the bow;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |