parasympathetic

English

Etymology

From para- (“beside, adjacent to”) +‎ sympathetic, because some of these nerves run alongside sympathetic nerves.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpa.ɹə.sɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛɹ.ə.sɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/, /ˌpæɹ.ə.sɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

parasympathetic (not comparable)

1. (neuroanatomy, neurology, relational) Of or relating to the part of the autonomic nervous system that inhibits or opposes the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. It consists of nerves arising from the brain and the lower end of the spinal cord and supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands.

   Antonym: sympathetic

Derived terms

• cardioparasympathetic
• parasympathetically
• parasympathetic nervous system
• parasympatho-, parasympath-
• trigemino-parasympathetic

Translations

relating to part of the autonomic nervous system

• Catalan: parasimpàtic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 副交感的 (fùjiāogǎnde)

• French: parasympathique (fr)
• Greek: παρασυμπαθητικός (el) (parasympathitikós)
• Hungarian: paraszimpatikus (hu)
• Italian: parasimpatico
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: parasîmpasawî f

• Polish: przywspółczulny
• Spanish: parasimpático
• Swedish: parasympatisk (sv)

Noun

parasympathetic (plural parasympathetics)

1. (neuroanatomy) A parasympathetic nerve.
2. (neurology) Ellipsis of parasympathetic nervous system..

See also

• orthosympathetic

References

• “parasympathetic”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “parasympathetic”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.