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psittacism

American  
[sit-uh-siz-uhm] / ˈsɪt əˌsɪz əm /

noun

  1. mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of psittacism

1895–1900; < Latin psittac ( us ) parrot ( see psittacosis) + -ism


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It is easy to affirm this separation, thanks to the psittacism of the words, which are here used like counterfeit coin, but we cannot represent it to ourselves, for it corresponds to nothing.

From The Mind and the Brain Being the Authorised Translation of L'Âme et le Corps by Alfred Binet

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