Gelasmus
/ɡɪˈlæzməs/noun
A pathological or uncontrollable fit of laughter.
Did you know?Gelasmus belongs to the same Greek-derived medical vocabulary as gelastic, a term describing laughter-related seizures or abnormal laughter.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
γέλως (gelōs)
“Laughter or ridicule”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γέλασμα (gelasma)
“A laugh, laughing matter, or object of ridicule”
Late Greek / Medical Latin
Greek/Latin
gelasmus
“A condition or episode characterized by laughter”
19th Century
Medical English
gelasmus
“A pathological fit of laughter”
Modern English
English
gelasmus
“Involuntary or abnormal laughter, especially in a medical context”
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