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hysteric

[ hi-ster-ik ]
/ hɪˈstɛr ɪk /
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See synonyms for: hysteric / hysterics on Thesaurus.com

noun
Usually hysterics. a fit of uncontrollable laughter or weeping; hysteria.
a person subject to hysteria.
adjective
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Origin of hysteric

1650–60; <Latin hystericus<Greek hysterikós, suffering in the womb, hysterical (reflecting the Greeks' belief that hysteria was peculiar to women and caused by disturbances in the uterus); see hystero-, -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM hysteric

an·ti·hys·ter·ic, noun, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hysteric

hysterics , histrionics
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hysteric in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hysteric

hysteric
/ (hɪˈstɛrɪk) /

noun
a hysterical person
adjective
hysterical
See also hysterics

Word Origin for hysteric

C17: from Latin hystericus literally: of the womb, from Greek husterikos, from hustera the womb; from the belief that hysteria in women originated in disorders of the womb
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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