Neurotic
/njʊˈrɒtɪk/noun
Relating to or characterized by excessive anxiety, emotional instability, or obsessive worry.
Did you know?Ancient Greek neuron could mean both a bodily nerve and a bowstring, linking emotional tension with the literal tension used to launch an arrow.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneu-
“Sinew, tendon, or fibrous tissue”
Ancient Greek
Greek
νεῦρον (neûron)
“Nerve, sinew, tendon, or bowstring”
19th Century
French
névrotique
“Neurotic; relating to nervous disorders”
19th Century
English
neurotic
“Relating to nervous disease or disorders”
Modern English
English
neurotic
“Excessively anxious, emotionally unstable, or obsessively worried”