hysterical
/hɪˈstɛrɪkəl/
adjective
Origin
Ancient Greek
hystera — womb
Overview
Meaning Now
- affected by or deriving from wildly emotional and uncontrolled behavior.
- informally, extremely funny; hilarious.
Literal older meaning
pertaining to the womb
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
Earliest form
hystericus
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The word is rooted in the archaic medical belief that 'hysteria' was a physical ailment caused by the displacement or agitation of the womb (hystera) within the female body. Consequently, the term was historically used in a gendered way to pathologize emotional distress.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
hysterikos
“suffering in the womb”
Medical term used in the Hippocratic corpus.
- Late Latin
hystericus
“pertaining to the womb”
- Middle French
hystérique
“suffering from hysteria”
- 17th Century English
hysterical
“suffering from hysterical fits”
Early usage specifically linked to female reproductive health theories.
- 20th Century English
hysterical
“laugh-out-loud funny”
Shift from clinical diagnosis to colloquial meaning.
Connections
Word parts
hyster
root
womb
ical
suffix
adjectival suffix
Related across languages
French
hystérique
hysterical
German
hysterisch
hysterical
Related words
Explore next
Related to hysterical
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.