erethism
[ er-uh-thiz-uh m ]
/ ˈɛr əˌθɪz əm /
|
noun Physiology.
an unusual or excessive degree of irritability or stimulation in an organ or tissue.
Nearby words
eremurus, erenburg, erenow, erepsin, ereshkigal, erethism, eretria, eretz israel, eretz yisrael, erev, erevan
Origin of erethism
1790–1800; < French éréthisme < Greek erethismós irritation, equivalent to ereth(ízein) to irritate + -ismos -ism
Related forms
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, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for erethism
British Dictionary definitions for erethism
erethism
/ (ˈɛrɪˌθɪzəm) /
noun
physiol an abnormally high degree of irritability or sensitivity in any part of the body
psychiatry
- a personality disorder resulting from mercury poisoning
- an abnormal tendency to become aroused quickly, esp sexually, as the result of a verbal or psychic stimulus
Derived Forms
erethismic, erethistic or erethitic, adjectiveWord 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
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Medicine definitions for erethism
erethism
[ ĕr′ə-thĭz′əm ]
n.
Abnormal irritability or sensitivity of an organ or body part to stimulation.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.