erethism

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er·e·thism

(ĕr′ə-thĭz′əm)

Abnormal irritability or sensitivity of an organ or a body part to stimulation.

[French éréthisme, from Greek erethisma, a provocation, from erethizein, to irritate.]

er′e·this′mic (-mĭk) adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

erethism

(ˈɛrɪˌθɪzəm)

1. (Pathology) physiol an abnormally high degree of irritability or sensitivity in any part of the body

2. (Psychiatry) psychiatry

a. a personality disorder resulting from mercury poisoning

b. an abnormal tendency to become aroused quickly, esp sexually, as the result of a verbal or psychic stimulus

[C18: from French éréthisme, from Greek erethismos irritation, from erethizein to excite, irritate]

ˌereˈthismic, ˌereˈthistic, ˌereˈthitic, ˈerethic adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

er•e•thism

(ˈɛr əˌθɪz əm)

n.

an unusual or excessive degree of irritability or stimulation in an organ or tissue.

[1790–1800; < French éréthisme < Greek erethismós irritation =ereth(ízein) to irritate + -ismos -ism]

er`e•this′mic, er`e•this′tic (-ˈθɪs tɪk) er`e•thit′ic (-ˈθɪt ɪk) adj.

erethism

1. an excessive irritability or sensibility to stimulation in any part of the body, especially the sexual organs.
2. a psychic disturbance characterized by irritability, emotional instability, depression, shyness, and fatigue, often caused by toxicity. — erethistic, erethitic, adj.