encefalico

Encefalico is an adjective used in several Romance languages to indicate relation to the brain, i.e., the encephalon. It derives from the Greek enkephalos (brain) and the suffix -ico, and is found in Italian as encefalico and in Spanish and Portuguese as encefálico. In English, the corresponding forms are encephalic or encephal- used in compound terms.

In medical and anatomical usage, encefalico serves as a building block for terms describing brain structures, functions, or diseases. Examples include encefalitis (inflammation of the brain), encefalopatia or encefalopathy (brain disease or dysfunction), and encefalocele (a neural tube defect with herniation of brain tissue through the skull). The root encefal- is also present in imaging and diagnostic terms such as encefalografia or encefalografía (brain imaging), depending on the language.

The term can refer to the brain as a whole as distinct from specialized regions; however, in some contexts it may overlap with other descriptors like cerebral or neurally focused terms. In clinical practice, encefalico terminology helps specify brain-centered pathology or anatomy within broader neurological discussions.

See also: brain, encephalon, encephalopathy, encephalitis, encephalocele, central nervous system.

Notes: Spelling and accentuation vary by language (for example, encefálico in Spanish/Portuguese and encefalico in Italian). The English equivalents are encephalic or the combining form encephal- as in encephalitis and encephalopathy.