piblokto

American  

[pi-blok-toh] / pɪˈblɒk toʊ /

Or piblockto

noun

Psychology.

pibloktos plural

1. a culture-specific syndrome occurring among traditional Inuit women, characterized by an outburst of cries or screams, the removal of clothing, and seeming possession by a bird or animal spirit.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• pibloktos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of piblokto

First recorded in 1955–60, piblokto is from the Inuit word pibloktoq

Example Sentences

Dog fights were hourly occurrences, and we lost a great many by the ravages of the mysterious Arctic disease, piblokto, which affects all dog life and frequently human life.

From A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Washington, Booker T.

The well-known madness among the Eskimo dogs is also called piblokto.

From The North Pole Its Discovery in 1909 under the auspices of the Peary Arctic Club by Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin)

I have never known a child to have piblokto; but some one among the adult Eskimos would have an attack every day or two, and one day there were five cases.

From The North Pole Its Discovery in 1909 under the auspices of the Peary Arctic Club by Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin)

Dogs suffering from piblokto are usually shot, but they are often eaten by the Eskimos.

From The North Pole Its Discovery in 1909 under the auspices of the Peary Arctic Club by Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin)