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erethism

[ er-uh-thiz-uhm ]
/ ˈɛr əˌθɪz əm /
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noun Physiology.
an unusual or excessive degree of irritability or stimulation in an organ or tissue.
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Origin of erethism

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

OTHER WORDS FROM erethism

er·e·this·mic, er·e·this·tic [er-uh-this-tik], /ˌɛr əˈθɪs tɪk/, er·e·thit·ic [er-uh-thit-ik], /ˌɛr əˈθɪt ɪk/, e·reth·ic [uh-reth-ik, e-reth-], /əˈrɛθ ɪk, ɛˈrɛθ-/, adjectivehy·per·er·e·thism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use erethism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for erethism

erethism
/ (ˈɛrɪˌθɪzəm) /

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

Derived forms of erethism

erethismic, erethistic or erethitic, adjective

Word Origin for erethism

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