Advertisement

neurosis (n.)

1776, "functional derangement arising from disorders of the nervous system (not caused by a lesion or injury)," coined by Scottish physician William Cullen (1710-1790) from Greek neuron "nerve" (see neuro-) + Modern Latin -osis "abnormal condition." Originally of epilepsy, hysteria, neuralgia, etc. Used in a general psychological sense from 1871, "change in the nerve cells of the brain resulting in symptoms of stress," but not radical loss of touch with reality (psychosis); clinical use in psychiatry dates from 1923.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of neurosis from WordNet

neurosis (n.)
a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction;
Synonyms: neuroticism / psychoneurosis
From wordnet.princeton.edu