latah

or la·ta

[ lah-tuh ]

noun
  1. a pattern of neurotic behavior, usually induced by a startle, first discovered in Malaya, and characterized by the compulsive imitation of the actions and words of others.

Origin of latah

1
Borrowed into English from Malay around 1880–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use latah in a sentence

  • There is yet another tape-worm harboured by man, the Tnia lata, better known under the name of Bothriocephalus.

    Animal Parasites and Messmates | P. J. Van Beneden
  • A similar condition may implicate the fascia lata of the thigh, or the calf muscles and their aponeuroses—crural fibrositis.

    Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for latah

latah

/ (ˈlɑːtə) /


noun
  1. a psychological condition, observed esp in Malaysian cultures, in which an individual, after experiencing a shock, becomes anxious and suggestible, often imitating the actions of another person

Origin of latah

1
C19: from Malay

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