catalepsy
or cat·a·lep·sis
a physical condition usually associated with catatonic schizophrenia, characterized by suspension of sensation, muscular rigidity, fixity of posture, and often by loss of contact with environment.
Origin of catalepsy
1Other words from catalepsy
- cat·a·lep·tic, adjective, noun
- cat·a·lep·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use catalepsy in a sentence
There are such, put in the spiritualist; for instance—crabs; they are very nervous, and are easily thrown into a cataleptic state.
Smoke | Turgenev Ivan SergeevichA cataleptic dream would explain it all; and I was determined that a dream it should be.
J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 1 | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuAnd all of this the senseless seaman heard—for—he was in a cataleptic fit, where he could hear, but could not move.
Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea | Charles H. L. JohnstonHe tried to stir and found that it couldn't be done; every muscle seemed tied in a cataleptic state.
The Brain | Alexander BladeThe figure sits and leans forward in the chair, straining and rigid, cataleptic with horror.
The Last of the Legions and Other Tales of Long Ago | Arthur Conan Doyle
British Dictionary definitions for catalepsy
/ (ˈkætəˌlɛpsɪ) /
a state of prolonged rigid posture, occurring for example in schizophrenia or in hypnotic trances
Origin of catalepsy
1Derived forms of catalepsy
- cataleptic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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