somatico

Somatico is a term used in several Romance languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, to denote something related to the body. In English the equivalent term is somatic. The word derives from the Greek soma, 'body'.

In biology and medicine, somatic refers to body-related phenomena as distinct from the germ line or mind. Somatic cells are all body cells except sexual gametes; somatic mutations occur in these cells and are not inherited unless they affect germ cells. The somatic nervous system, part of the peripheral nervous system, mediates voluntary movement and conscious sensation, while the autonomic nervous system handles involuntary functions.

In clinical psychology, somatic is used in terms such as somatic symptom disorders, in which emotional or psychological distress is expressed as physical symptoms. Somatization is the process by which mental experiences are reflected as bodily symptoms.

In linguistics and everyday usage, somatico appears as an adjective in Romance languages to describe bodily phenomena. Examples include 'sistema somático' for the somatic system or 'reflejo somático' for a somatic reflex. In many contexts the English equivalent 'somatic' is used instead.

Related topics include somatic, soma, somatology, and somatism.