delirium

[dih-leer-ee-uh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR delirium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural de·lir·i·ums, de·lir·i·a [dih-leer-ee-uh] /dɪˈlɪər i ə/.

Pathology. a more or less temporary disorder of the mental faculties, as in fevers, disturbances of consciousness, or intoxication, characterized by restlessness, excitement, delusions, hallucinations, etc.

a state of violent excitement or emotion.

Origin of delirium

1590–1600; < Latin dēlīrium frenzy, equivalent to dēlīr(āre) (see deliration) + -ium -ium

Related formssem·i·de·lir·i·um, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for delirium

hallucination, fever, dementia, hysteria, aberration, fury, ardor, derangement, rage, insanity, ecstasy, mania, passion, fervor, enthusiasm, zeal, frenzy, raving, lunacy, furor

Examples from the Web for delirium

Contemporary Examples of delirium

I spend waking hours in a fog of delirium, punctuated by uncontrollable giggle fits, heart palpitations, and mental anguish.
YouTube’s Sleep Whisperers Are A Sexy Way To Combat Insomnia
Lizzie Crocker
May 3, 2014
It's not delirium tremors and chromosome breakage and only a small number of users would be seriously harmed.
Weed Gave My Family Everything—Then Took It Away
Abby Haglage
April 9, 2014
Republicans were never overwhelmed by Mitt Romney; the Democratic delirium for Barack Obama faded two recovery summers ago.
The Penn & Teller Election
David Frum
April 17, 2012

Historical Examples of delirium

It was like a hurricane of delirium rushing by and laying every head in the dust.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Through the thin wall of my workroom I could hear Joe in his delirium.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Pregnancy and childbirth play a large part in their delirium.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
In her delirium she imagines herself to be queen of the world.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
This explains why they may be associated in the delirium of unbridled passions.
The Sexual Question
August Forel

British Dictionary definitions for delirium

delirium

noun plural -liriums or -liria (-ˈlɪrɪə)

a state of excitement and mental confusion, often accompanied by hallucinations, caused by high fever, poisoning, brain injury, etc

violent excitement or emotion; frenzy

Derived Formsdeliriant, adjective

Word Origin for delirium

C16: from Latin: madness, from dēlīrāre, literally: to swerve from a furrow, hence be crazy, from de- + līra ridge, furrow

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

Word Origin and History for delirium

1590s, from Latin delirium "madness," from deliriare "be crazy, rave," literally "go off the furrow," a plowing metaphor, from phrase de lire, from de "off, away" (see de-) + lira "furrow, earth thrown up between two furrows," from PIE *leis- "track, furrow."

delirium in Medicine

delirium

[dĭ-lîr′ē-əm]

n. pl. de•lir•i•ums

A temporary state of mental confusion resulting from high fever, intoxication, shock, or other causes, and characterized by anxiety, disorientation, memory impairment, hallucinations, trembling, and incoherent speech.