autocatalepsy
|au-to-ca-lep-sy|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtəˈkætəlɛpsi/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtə(ʊ)ˈkætəlɛpsi/
self-caused seizure-like rigidity
Etymology
'autocatalepsy' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'autos' and 'katalepsis', where 'autos' meant 'self' and 'katalepsis' meant 'seizure' or 'taking hold'.
'autocatalepsy' was formed in modern medical/technical English by combining the prefix 'auto-' with the existing term 'catalepsy' (from Greek 'katalepsis'), yielding the coinage 'autocatalepsy' to denote a self-related form of catalepsy.
Initially the roots referred literally to 'self' + 'seizure' (self-seizing), and over time the compound came to denote specifically a self‑occurring or self‑induced cataleptic state.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a form of catalepsy that occurs spontaneously or is self‑induced; a state of muscular rigidity and unresponsiveness arising without external cause or produced by the subject.
After prolonged stress, the patient exhibited autocatalepsy, becoming rigid and unresponsive for several minutes.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/24 03:18