Nervine refers to a nerve tonic, a type of medicine that has a calming effect on the nerves. The term originates from the Latin word "nervinus," meaning related to a sinew. The word made its way from France to England in the 17th century, initially used to describe sinews. This makes sense because "nervinus" is derived from "nervus," which in Latin means sinew, thong, string (like a bowstring), or wire. In ancient times, Romans and Greeks did not differentiate between tendons and nerves, using "nervus" to refer to any white cord-like structure, whether it was a muscle band or a component of the nervous system.I must confess, I wasn't familiar with the term "nervine" until I encountered it in a particularly challenging New York Times crossword puzzle on a Saturday. The puzzles become progressively harder as the week goes on, from Monday to Saturday. The clue given was "Soothing medicine," with seven letters to fill in the answer. It turned out to be "NERVINE," a word not commonly found in standard desktop dictionaries or even many medical dictionaries. — Editor
