Neurodiverse

Word of the Day

Neurodiverse is an adjective that means displaying atypical neurological behavior.

A recent addition to the English language, our word of the day has been around since earlier this century when scientists were developing a deeper understanding of what made some people think and act differently than others. The scientists involved in this area are called neuroscientists, a word that shares the Greek prefix N-E-U-R-O— meaning related to the brain or nervous system — with our word of the day.

The second half of neurodiverse is the word diverse, which comes from Middle English meaning, ‘coming from different ways.’ A neurodiverse person has a brain that works in ways that differ from typical people. Here’s an example:

Mike has been called neurodiverse because of his idiosyncratic ways, but when it comes to arriving on time for dinner, he’s as typical as they come.