hysterical

English

Etymology

From hysteric +‎ -al, from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikos, “suffering in the womb, hysterical”), from ὑστερά (hustera, “womb”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /hɪ ˈstɛrɪkəl/

Adjective

hysterical (comparative more hysterical, superlative most hysterical)

1. Of, or arising from hysteria.
2. Having, or prone to having hysterics.
3. Provoking uncontrollable laughter.

Usage notes

• Like many terms that start with a (non-silent) h and have emphasis on their second syllable, some people precede hysterical with an, others with a.

Related terms

• hysteric
• hysterics
• hysteria

Translations

arising from hysteria

• Czech: hysterický (cs) m
• Esperanto: histeria (eo)
• German: hysterisch (de)

• Greek: υστερικός (el) (ysterikós) m
• Icelandic: sefasjúkur; móðursjúkur; æstur m, æst f and n; í uppnámi m, f, and n; í geðshræringu m, f, and n

prone to having hysterics

• Czech: hysterický (cs) m
• German: hysterisch (de)

• Greek: υστερικός (el) (ysterikós) m
• Icelandic: sefasjúkur; móðursjúkur; æstur m, æst f and n

provoking laughter

• Icelandic: mjög fyndinn

External links

• hysterical in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• hysterical at OneLook Dictionary Search