adjective
sympathetic
Relating to the part of the nervous system that prepares the body for action or stress.
The diagram traces sympathetic nerves from the spinal cord.
Etymology
The source concerns shared feeling or response. Anatomy used sympathetic for nerves understood to coordinate responses among internal organs, later identifying a particular autonomic division.
More examples
- The lecture describes sympathetic activity during stress.
- Researchers measured changes in sympathetic signaling.
- The textbook compares sympathetic and parasympathetic functions.
Forms
sympathetic
Similar words
- parasympathetic
- Names a different division, often associated with rest and digestion.