nympholepsy

English

Etymology

nympho- +‎ -lepsy

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪmfəˌlɛpsi/

Noun

nympholepsy (countable and uncountable, plural nympholepsies)

1. A frenzied state of (usually erotic) emotion, especially concerning something or someone unattainable.
   • 1852, Mary Edgewood Lazarus, Love Vs. Marriage: Part 1, page 292:

     If young persons of both sexes were brought together in the honest practical relations of organized labor, we should see no more of these fond nympholepsies

Related terms

• nympholept