Stendhal
/stɛnˈdɑːl/noun
The pen name of the French novelist Marie-Henri Beyle (1783–1842), and the name associated with a psychological syndrome of intense aesthetic overwhelm.
Did you know?The word is tied to the pseudonym of Marie-Henri Beyle, who chose it in honor of the German town of Stendal; the famous “Stendhal syndrome” was named much later after his intense reactions to Italian art.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Germanic
Germanic
stand-
“to stand, be firm, remain”
Old High German
OHG
Stendal
“a place name probably meaning a marshy or stony place, later a town in Saxony-Anhalt”
18th Century
French
Stendhal
“pen name adopted by Marie-Henri Beyle”
19th Century
French
Stendhal syndrome
“a later term for dizziness, panic, or hallucination reportedly caused by exposure to great art”
Modern English
English
Stendhal
“the author’s pseudonym and the syndrome named after it”