catalepsy

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
“
What I have now to tell is of my own actual knowledge--of my own positive and personal experience For several years I had been subject to attacks of the singular disorder which physicians have agreed to term catalepsy, in default of a more definitive title.

View all »
Definitions (3)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun A condition characterized by lack of response to external stimuli and by muscular rigidity, so that the limbs remain in whatever position they are placed. It is known to occur in a variety of physical and psychological disorders, such as epilepsy and schizophrenia, and can be induced by hypnosis.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • On Sunday (the 15th, I believe) I had a strong and sudden convulsive attack, which left me speechless, though not motionless-for some strong men could not hold me; but whether it was epilepsy, catalepsy, cachexy, or apoplexy, or what other exy or epsy the doctors have not decided; or whether it was spasmodic or nervous, etc.; but it was very unpleasant, and nearly carried me off, and all that. —  A Publisher and His Friends
  • Its voice had a nasal quality; the creature did indeed seem to be suffering from catarrh and perhaps catalepsy, though probably it had built up a certain immunity to the curses of the water. —  Ogre Ogre
  • Even the most comprehensive mind"--here he closed his eyes and simpered--"could hardly conceive a universal outbreak of it in this fashion You may label it catalepsy," remarked Summerlee, "but, after all, that is only a name, and we know as little of the result as we do of the poison which has caused it. —  The First Men In The Moon
  • I would rather she should be an 'optical illusion' or a fit of 'catalepsy,' or even a 'spectre,' than a sweetheart of yours, as I first took, her to be Be not afraid. —  Cruel As The Grave
  • Those which I shall select, will be instances either of somnambulism, double consciousness, or catalepsy, the popular phenomena of which I take this occasion of displaying. —  Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 379, May, 1847
More examples »
 

Tags

catalepsy hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 178 times.

1 person has marked this word as a favorite.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English catalempsi, from Late Latin catalēmpsia, from Greek katalēpsis, from katalambanein, to seize upon : kata-, intensive pref.; see cata- + lambanein, lēp-, to seize.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Also, as Late Latin, catalysis (later F. catalepsie = Spanish Portuguese catalepsia = Italian catalessia), from Greek κατάληψις, a grasping, seizing, from καταλαμβάνειν, seize upon, from κατά, down, + λαμβάνειν (√*λαβ), seize, take. Cf. epilepsy.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/ˈkætəlɛpsi/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

We are still working on calculating this word's frequency.

Recently looked up

aspired · bribe · well-toned · AMIABLE · alliance

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

Der dicke Dachdecker deckte dir dein Dach, drum dank dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker dir dein Dach deckte. · weitläufig · und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, so leben sie noch heute · redescheu · selbstverständlich