Etymology

neurotoxin

N1E1U1R1O1T1O1X8I1N1

Today it means: A toxin that specifically acts upon neurons, their synapses, or the nervous system in its entirety. Full definition →

English toxin ← Latin toxicum ← Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)neh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*snéh₁wr̥
  3. Ancient Greekνεῦρον (neûron)
  4. Ancient Greekνευρο- (neuro-)
  5. Englishneuro-
  6. Ancient Greekτόξον (tóxon)
  7. Ancient Greekτοξῐκός (toxĭkós)
  8. Ancient Greekτοξικόν (toxikón)
  9. Latintoxicum
  10. Englishtoxin
  11. English todayneurotoxin

From neuro- + toxin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.