latah
or la·ta
a pattern of neurotic behavior, usually induced by a startle, first discovered in Malaya, and characterized by the compulsive imitation of the actions and words of others.
Origin of latah
1Words Nearby latah
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use latah in a sentence
The sailor then throws the piece of wood on to the deck, and the latah promptly follows suit with the baby (Guinon).
Tics and Their Treatment | Henry MeigneI has plowed an' I has sowed, an' latah on I has laid cyahpets, an' I has whitewashed.
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories | Paul Laurence DunbarI'll go if you wish it; though I tell you again, you're backing the wrong man, and soonah or latah you'll discover it.
Miss Cayley's Adventures | Grant AllenIn point of fact, I don't mind telling yah, I back myself still for a couple of thou' soonah or latah to marry yah.
Miss Cayley's Adventures | Grant AllenMore than one-half of the cereal crop in 1905 was produced in the prairie and plateau region of Nez Perce and latah counties.
British Dictionary definitions for latah
/ (ˈlɑːtə) /
a psychological condition, observed esp in Malaysian cultures, in which an individual, after experiencing a shock, becomes anxious and suggestible, often imitating the actions of another person
Origin of latah
1Collins 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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