latah

or la·ta

[lah-tuh]

noun

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

Borrowed into English from Malay around 1880–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for latah

Historical Examples of latah

More than one-half of the cereal crop in 1905 was produced in the prairie and plateau region of Nez Perce and Latah counties.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3
Various
I'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 Allen
In 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 Allen
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 Meigne
I 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 Dunbar

British Dictionary definitions for latah

latah

noun

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

Word Origin for latah

C19: from Malay

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

latah in Medicine

latah

[lä′tə]

A nervous disorder characterized by an exaggerated physical response to being startled or to unexpected suggestion.