Dictionary.com
definitions

delirium tremens

[tree-muh nz, -menz]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR delirium tremens ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Pathology.

a withdrawal syndrome occurring in persons who have developed physiological dependence on alcohol, characterized by tremor, visual hallucinations, and autonomic instability. Abbreviation: d.t.

RELATED CONTENT

DTRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
What is it called when a person is “speaking in tongues?”A person who has what is known as “the gift of tongues” is usually in the midst of religious ecstasy, trance, or delirium. The speaker — and often witnesses too — believe that they are being possessed by a supernatural spirit or channeling the language of a deity or divine being, although the words are incomprehensible otherwise. Experts call this phenomenon glossolalia, a Greek compound of the words …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

heebie-jeebies, mania, horrors, jimjams

Nearby words

  1. deliquescent,
  2. deliration,
  3. deliriant,
  4. delirious,
  5. delirium,
  6. delis,
  7. delish,
  8. delist,
  9. delitescence,
  10. delitescent

Origin of delirium tremens

1813; < New Latin: trembling delirium
Also called the d.t.'s.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for delirium tremens

  • Poe was attacked with delirium-tremens in Baltimore, and died in a hospital in that city in October, 1849.

    Home Life of Great Authors|Hattie Tyng Griswold
British Dictionary definitions for delirium tremens

delirium tremens

noun

a severe psychotic condition occurring in some persons with chronic alcoholism, characterized by delirium, tremor, anxiety, and vivid hallucinationsAbbreviation: dt, (informal) DT's

Word Origin for delirium tremens

C19: New Latin, literally: trembling delirium
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 tremens

delirium tremens

n.

1813, medical Latin, literally "trembling delirium," introduced 1813 by British physician Thomas Sutton, for "that form of delirium which is rendered worse by bleeding, but improved by opium. By Rayer and subsequent writers it has been almost exclusively applied to delirium resulting from the abuse of alcohol" [Sydenham Society Lexicon of Medicine]. As synonyms, Farmer lists barrel-fever, gallon distemper, blue Johnnies, bottle ache, pink spiders, quart-mania snakes in the boots, triangles, uglies, etc.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for delirium tremens

delirium tremens

[trē′mənz]

n.

An acute, sometimes fatal episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal or abstinence from alcohol following habitual excessive drinking and that is characterized by sweating, trembling, anxiety, confusion, and hallucinations.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for delirium tremens

delirium tremens

[dĭ-lîr′ē-əm trē′mənz]

An acute, sometimes fatal episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal or abstinence from alcohol following habitual excessive drinking or an episode of heavy alcohol consumption. It is characterized by trembling, sweating, acute anxiety, confusion, and hallucinations.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.