latah

or la·ta

[ lah-tuh ]

/ ˈlɑ tə /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of latah

Borrowed into English from Malay around 1880–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for latah

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
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
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

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

British Dictionary definitions for latah

latah

/ (ˈlɑːtə) /

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

Medicine definitions for latah

latah

[ lä′tə ]

n.

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