synesthesia

American  

[sin-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / ˌsɪn əsˈθi ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

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.

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synesthesia British  

/ ˌsɪniːsˈθɛtɪk, ˌsɪniːsˈθiːzɪə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of synaesthesia

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Other Word Forms

• nonsynesthetic adjective
• synesthete noun
• synesthetic adjective

Etymology

Origin of synesthesia

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.

From Salon

A further revelation came after intermission with an even more impressive concert performance of Bartók’s “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” that demonstrated the radical difference between theater and synesthesia.

From Los Angeles 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.

From 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.

From Science Daily

Art historians say that the painter had the condition, or gift, of synesthesia: he could look at a colour and hear music.

From BBC