nootropic

Meaning

Noun

• Any substance purported to increase or enhance cognitive abilities.
• A drug that enhances learning and memory and lacks the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g. sedation, motor stimulation) and possesses very few side effects and extremely low toxicity.

Related

Similar words

• smart drug
• memory enhancer

Narrower meaning words

• piracetam
• caffeine

Origin

• Coined in 1972 by Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea, derived from the Ancient Greek words νόος and τροπέω