catalepsy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- cataleptic adjective
- cataleptically adverb
Etymology
Origin of catalepsy
1350–1400; < Medieval Latin catalēpsia, variant of Late Latin catalēpsis < Greek katálēpsis seizure (akin to katalambánein to hold down), equivalent to kata- cata- + lêpsis a grasping ( lēp-, variant stem of lambánein to grasp + -sis -sis ); replacing Middle English cathalempsia < Medieval Latin
Compare meaning
How does catalepsy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Catalepsy is a rare disorder that causes a person's body to become rigid and temporarily unable to move. Causes of catalepsy may include Parkinson's disease or certain psychiatric disorders. The Greek root of catalepsy is katalepsis, "seizing or grasping," and when someone is in this state, they do seem to be seized by some invisible force: Their limbs become fixed in place, and the person enters a trancelike state. While often associated with nervous system disorders, catalepsy can also be a side effect of certain medications.
Vocabulary lists containing catalepsy
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Psychological Conditions and Disorders
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Psychology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We think now he probably suffered from catalepsy, a nervous condition that causes muscular rigidity.
From The Guardian • Oct. 17, 2010
"Sometimes our people get happy and skip around a bit," she said, "but . . . we don't have any catalepsy or epilepsy."
From Time Magazine Archive
Whelan scrapped the result, not for lack of merit, but because he decided it could only evoke ten show-stopping minutes of caterwauling and catalepsy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Eleanor Roosevelt's frilly white collar turned to sponge; her smile froze into catalepsy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dr. Coleridge "considered it to be a contagious nervous disease, the acme or intensest form of which is catalepsy."
From Second Edition of A Discovery Concerning Ghosts With a Rap at the "Spirit-Rappers" by Cruikshank, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
