neurologie

Forms

neurologie f (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French neuro- + -logie.^[2][1][3] The first element is from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “sinew, tendon, cord”);^[1][4] Rey notes that the Greek word took the modern sense “nerve” only late, in medical vocabulary, and that, like its counterpart Latin nervus in Latin (the source of nerf), it goes back to an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *sne-.^[4] The second element goes back to λόγος (lógos, “discourse, science”).^[5] The variant névro-, in the older névrologie (1690), reflects the Byzantine pronunciation of the letter upsilon adopted by Medieval Latin.^[4][3][5] The English word neurology (1680s) came through New Latin neurologia.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1691 in a French translation of Thomas Burnet's Latin treatise on medical practice, as the science that studies the nervous system.^[2][5] From the 17th to the 19th century this meant the nerves in the older sense of the word, which included tendons and ligaments.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The modern sense, the branch of medicine dealing with diseases of the nervous system, is dated by the TLFi from Anatole France (1890) and by the GLLF from Larousse (1874).^[2][5][4] This medical use produced neurologiste (1888), neurologique (1893) and neurologue (1907).^[4]

These words drove out their doublets in névro-: névrologie, névrologiste, névrologue and névrologique.^[4] The Académie had defined névrologie in 1798 as the part of anatomy that deals with the nerves;^[7] the TLFi now gives it only as a synonym of neurologie.^[2]

Timeline

• 1690 – Névrologie is recorded in Régis.^[5][3]
• 1691 – Neurologie appears in a translation of Thomas Burnet.^[2][5]
• 1798 – The Académie defines névrologie as the anatomy of the nerves.^[7]
• 1874 – Larousse records the medical sense.^[5]
• 1888 – Neurologiste is recorded.^[4]
• 1890 – Anatole France uses neurologie for the study of nervous diseases.^[2][4]
• 1907 – Neurologue is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The branch of medicine that deals with the nervous system and treats its diseases.^[8][2]
2. The study of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system.^[2][5]

Word family

• neurologique
• neurologue
• neurologiste

Related words

• névrologie
• nerf
• English neurology

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Académie française (1798), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 5th ed., Paris: Smits
8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert