synesthesia

[sin-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh]

noun

1. a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

synesthesia

/ ˌsɪniːsˈθɛtɪk, ˌsɪniːsˈθiːzɪə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of synaesthesia

Other Word Forms

• synesthete noun
• synesthetic adjective
• nonsynesthetic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of synesthesia¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from New Latin; syn-, esthesia

Example Sentences

“And then synesthesia would be … these rare individuals who experience additional sensations that sometimes happen to be across the senses, but most commonly sight,” Spence told Salon in a video interview.

Read more on Salon

The mystical Russian composer experienced synesthesia, the neurological condition in which the brain involuntarily associates one sense with another.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As stoner food, the Latona Pub crunch wrap seems like it would be deliriously delicious, possibly inducing synesthesia.

Read more on Seattle Times

You’ll notice the way synesthesia guides his pen, and you’ll pick up his themes of exile, wonder, the afterlife and the privacy and primacy of marriage.

Read more on New York Times

The future of human-machine interfaces is on the cusp of a revolution with the unveiling of a groundbreaking technology -- a stretchable high-resolution multicolor synesthesia display that generates synchronized sound and light as input/output sources.

Read more on Science Daily