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hysteria

Etymology and origin of the English word hysteria

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
Latin hysteria

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /hɪˈstɪəɹiə/ (UK); /hɪˈstɛɹiə/, /hɪˈstɪɹiə/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin hysteria,[2][3][4] formed from English hysteric “of hysteria” (1657),[3][4][5] from Latin hystericus “of the womb”,[3][4] from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikós),[3][4] from hustérā “womb”.[3][4][6] It reflects the old belief that the condition was peculiar to women and caused by disturbance of the uterus.[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A functional disturbance of the nervous system, then regarded as a neurosis peculiar to women (1801).[7][3][4][6]

Semantic evolution

The general sense “morbid excitement, unhealthy emotion” is recorded by 1839,[7][6] and today the word usually means any uncontrollable outburst of emotion, such as fear or panic.[2][3][5] In medicine and psychiatry the term is no longer current, having been replaced by names such as conversion disorder.[5][1]

Timeline

  • 1615 – hysterical.[4]
  • 1657 – hysteric.[4]
  • 1727 – hysterics.[4]
  • 1801 – the nervous disorder.[7][3][4][6]
  • 1839 – morbid excitement.[7][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.
  2. (dated, psychiatry) A psychoneurosis marked by emotional excitability and physical symptoms without an organic cause.

Word family

  • hysteric
  • hysterically
  • mass hysteria
  • hysterics
  • hysterical
  • hysterectomy
  • uterus

Usage notes

Some usage advisers recommend caution with hysteria and hysterical because their medical history is bound up with stereotypes about women.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Hysteria.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hysteria. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·