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folie à deux

[ fo-leeuh-doo; French faw-leea-dœ ]
/ fɒˈli ə ˈdu; French fɔ li a ˈdœ /
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noun, plural fo·lies à deux [fo-leezuh-doo; French faw-lee za-dœ]. /fɒˈliz ə ˈdu; French fɔ li za ˈdœ/. Psychiatry.
the sharing of delusional ideas by two people who are closely associated.
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Origin of folie à deux

Borrowed into English from French around 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for folie à deux

folie à deux
/ (ˈfɒlɪ æ ˈdɜː) /

noun
psychiatry mental illness occurring simultaneously in two intimately related persons who share some of the elements of the illness, such as delusions

Word Origin for folie à deux

French: madness involving two (people)
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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