neuro-

1. a combining form meaning “nerve,” “nerves,” “nervous system,” used in the formation of compound words:

   neurology.

neuro-

combining_form

1. indicating a nerve or the nervous system

   neuroblast

   neurology

Word History and Origins

Origin of neuro-¹

< Greek neuro-, combining form of neûron; akin to Latin nervus

Word History and Origins

Origin of neuro-¹

from Greek neuron nerve; related to Latin nervus

Example Sentences

"We have treated injuries on various parts of his body," Thapa told BBC News Nepali, "He is under observation in the neuro surgery ward."

From BBC

Neuro- and marine biologist Anders Garm from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology couldn't ignore the question.

From Science Daily

Founded in 2022, EPFL's Neuro X Institute specializes in translational research across neuroscience, neural engineering, and neurocomputation.

From Science Daily

“I said to Rafael, ‘Well, why don’t we create the first neuro data protection law?’”

From Salon

"You need all this peripheral equipment, which needs to be on steroids to meet those promises. The NexGen 7T is really a game-changer when you want to do neuro MRI."

From Science Daily

Words That Use neuro-

What does neuro- mean?

Neuro– is a combining form used like a prefix that literally means “nerve.” The form is also used figuratively to mean “nerves” or “nervous system.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy.

Neuro– comes from Greek neûron, meaning “nerve.” Neûron is a distant relative of sinew, which is of Old English origin, and nerve, which is of Latin origin. To learn more, check out the entries for both words.

What are variants of neuro-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, neuro– becomes neur–, as in neuroid. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about neur-.

Examples of neuro-

One example of a medical term that uses neuro– is neurocyte, more commonly called a neuron, meaning “a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system.”

The neuro– part of the word means “nerve,” and the –cyte part of the word means “cell,” from Greek kýtos. Neurocyte literally translates to “nerve cell.”

What are some words that use the combining form neuro-?

• neuroblast
• neurocardiac
• neurochemistry
• neurogram
• neurohistology
• neurology (using the equivalent form of neuro– in Latin)
• neuromere
• neuropathy

What are some other forms that neuro– may be commonly confused with?

• nitro-
• non-
• nona-
• normo-

Break it down!

The combining form –logy is used to name areas of study or branches of science. With this in mind, what is neurology?