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glossolalia

[glos-uh-ley-lee-uh, glaw-suh-]
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noun

incomprehensible speech in an imaginary language, sometimes occurring in a trance state, an episode of religious ecstasy, or schizophrenia.

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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 …
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Nearby words

  1. glossoepiglottic,
  2. glossographer,
  3. glossographical,
  4. glossography,
  5. glossohyal,
  6. glossological,
  7. glossology,
  8. glossopathy,
  9. glossopharyngeal,
  10. glossopharyngeal breathing
Compare speaking in tongues.

Origin of glossolalia

First recorded in 1875–80; glosso- + -lalia
Related formsglos·sol·a·list [glo-sol-uh-list, glaw-] /glɒˈsɒl ə lɪst, glɔ-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for glossolalia

  • Besides, we find in Lola's case a high degree of glossolalia.

    Lola|Henny Kindermann
British Dictionary definitions for glossolalia

glossolalia

noun

another term for gift of tongues
psychol babbling in a nonexistent language

Word Origin for glossolalia

C19: New Latin, from glosso- + Greek lalein to speak, babble
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 glossolalia

glossolalia

n.

"speaking in tongues," 1879, from Greek glossa "tongue, language" (see gloss (n.2)) + lalia "talk, prattle, a speaking," from lalein "to speak, prattle," of echoic origin.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for glossolalia

glossolalia

[glô′sə-lā′lē-ə]

n.

Fabricated, nonmeaningful speech, especially associated with trances or certain schizophrenic syndromes.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.