somnambulism

American  

[som-nam-byuh-liz-uhm, suhm-] / sɒmˈnæm byəˌlɪz əm, səm- /

noun

1. sleepwalking.

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somnambulism British  

/ sɒmˈnæmbjʊˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. Also called: noctambulism.  a condition that is characterized by walking while asleep or in a hypnotic trance

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Other Word Forms

• somnambulist noun
• somnambulistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of somnambulism

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French somnambulisme, from New Latin somnambulismus, equivalent to somn(us) “sleep” + ambul(āre) “to walk” + -ismus -ism

Explanation

Somnambulism is sleepwalking. Some people have managed to walk around their neighborhood without even knowing it because of somnambulism. The roots of this word — somn and amublate — are related to sleep and walking, and that's exactly what somnambulism is: walking in your sleep. Lots of people engage in somnambulism every night, usually harmlessly. Somnambulism can also include talking in your sleep and doing other activities.

Example Sentences

But we must be careful not to confuse this disorder with somnambulism.

From Scientific American • Jun. 5, 2023

Or are they symptoms of either sleep paralysis — the mind awake, but the body asleep — or its converse: somnambulism, or sleepwalking?

From Washington Post • Aug. 17, 2021

This brutal satirical novel takes place on a single night, when a plague of somnambulism unleashes a host of suppressed emotions among the inhabitants of a Chinese village.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2019

“The Day the Sun Died” takes place during a single evening and night, when a village called Gaotian is stricken by an outbreak of somnambulism, or “dreamwalking”:

From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018

Her strange somnambulism seemed suspicious to her, as did her new mania for taking food to her room.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende