erethism

[er-uh-thiz-uhm]

noun

Physiology.

1. an unusual or excessive degree of irritability or stimulation in an organ or tissue.

erethism

/ ˈɛrɪˌθɪzəm /

noun

1. physiol an abnormally high degree of irritability or sensitivity in any part of the body

2. psychiatry

   1. a personality disorder resulting from mercury poisoning

   2. an abnormal tendency to become aroused quickly, esp sexually, as the result of a verbal or psychic stimulus

Other Word Forms

• erethismic adjective
• erethistic adjective
• erethitic adjective
• erethic adjective
• hypererethism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of erethism¹

1790–1800; < French éréthisme < Greek erethismós irritation, equivalent to ereth ( ízein ) to irritate + -ismos -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of erethism¹

C18: from French éréthisme, from Greek erethismos irritation, from erethizein to excite, irritate

Example Sentences

From the beginning, and often for a long period antecedent to the appearance of cardiac symptoms, the subjects of Graves' disease present a considerable mental erethism.

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They are irritable in the nervous sense and excitable, and this erethism increases their nervous instability which responds by craving further excitement.

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Physical Effects.—The super-excitation of nerves consequent upon the more or less general erethism that is induced, lessens resistive vitality.

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We write his course unfeeling, Weak, selfish, petty, flowing from the craze Of sexual jealousy, made worse by war, And universal madness, erethism Of hellish war.

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All it is at first is a rude satisfaction of the erethism.

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