hysteria

C2 Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /hɪˈstɛɹiə/ See IPA manual

Freq #15175

Meanings

1

noun
Wild, uncontrollable emotion, especially fear or panic, that spreads through a group of people.

Mass hysteria broke out in the crowd when someone shouted that the building was on fire.
2

noun
A state of extreme, uncontrollable excitement or emotion in one person.

She burst into hysteria, laughing and crying at the same time.
3

noun
An old psychiatric diagnosis for emotional or physical symptoms with no clear physical cause.

In Freud's day, doctors often diagnosed nervous women with hysteria.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · wild, uncontrollable... craze

3 noun · an old psychiatric... hysterical neurosisconversion disorder

Word family

Forms hysterias

Derived forms ecohysteriahomohysteriahystero-

Related forms hysteric hysterical hysterics

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

mass hysteria
intense agitation or panic spreading through a large group

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Hysteria was formed in English in the early 19th century from Greek hustera, “uterus” or “womb.” The name reflects the former medical belief that the condition was a disorder peculiar to women and caused by a disturbance of the womb; earlier related terms included hysteric and hysterical passion.

Etymology

From New Latin hysteria, a back-formation from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikós, “suffering in the uterus, hysterical”), from ὑστέρα (hustéra, “womb”). Compare French hystérie.

hysteria la-new hystericus Latin ὑστερικός Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings

External links

# hysteria

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /hɪˈstɛɹiə/
**Frequency rank:** 15175

## Meanings
1. Wild, uncontrollable emotion, especially fear or panic, that spreads through a group of people.
2. A state of extreme, uncontrollable excitement or emotion in one person.
3. An old psychiatric diagnosis for emotional or physical symptoms with no clear physical cause.

## Examples
- Mass hysteria broke out in the crowd when someone shouted that the building was on fire.
- She burst into hysteria, laughing and crying at the same time.
- In Freud's day, doctors often diagnosed nervous women with hysteria.

## Derived Forms
- ecohysteria
- homohysteria
- hystero-

## Related Forms
- hysteric
- hysterical
- hysterics

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hysteria
- Root: hystericus
- Root: ὑστερικός

## Etymology
From New Latin hysteria, a back-formation from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikós, “suffering in the uterus, hysterical”), from ὑστέρα (hustéra, “womb”). Compare French hystérie.

## AI Etymology
Hysteria is from New Latin hysteria, a back-formation from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikós, “suffering in the uterus, hysterical”), from ὑστέρα (hustéra, “womb”). Compare French hystérie. Important recorded forms include hysteria (la-new), hystericus (Latin), and ὑστερικός (Ancient Greek). Current senses include wild, uncontrollable emotion, especially fear or panic, that spreads through a group of people, a state of extreme, uncontrollable excitement or emotion in one person, and an old psychiatric diagnosis for emotional or physical symptoms with no clear physical cause. The wider family includes derived forms such as ecohysteria, homohysteria, and hystero- and related words such as hysteric, hysterical, and hysterics.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings

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