nympholepsy

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈnɪmfəˌlɛpsɪ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(nim′fə lep′sē)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
nym•pho•lep•sy  (nim′fə lep′sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -sies. 
  1. an ecstasy supposed by the ancients to be inspired by nymphs.
  2. a frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable.
  • 1765–75; formed on nympholept, on the model of epilepsy
nym•pho•lep•tic  (nim′fə lep′tik),USA pronunciation adj. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nympholepsy /ˈnɪmfəˌlɛpsɪ/ n ( pl -sies)
  1. a state of violent emotion, esp when associated with a desire for something one cannot have
Etymology: 18th Century: from nympholept, on the model of epilepsyˌnymphoˈleptic adj
'nympholepsy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
nympholept

Forum discussions with the word(s) "nympholepsy" in the title:


Look up "nympholepsy" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "nympholepsy" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.