What does "erethism" mean?

Abnormal excitement of a bodily organ or tissue.

How do you pronounce "erethism"?

Pronounced //ˈɛɹɪθɪzəm//.

Common synonyms include: agitation, irritability, mercurial syndrome, poisoning syndrome, restlessness, toxic syndrome.

/ˈɛɹɪθɪzəm/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Abnormal excitement of a bodily organ or tissue. countable, uncountable
2
an abnormally high degree of irritability or sensitivity to stimulation of an organ or body part wordnet
3
Any unusual or morbid overexcitement. countable, uncountable
"Since the eighteenth century, sex has not ceased to provoke a kind of generalized discursive erethism."
4
A neurological disorder arising from mercury poisoning, leading to irritability, depression, etc. countable, uncountable

"Since the eighteenth century, sex has not ceased to provoke a kind of generalized discursive erethism."

From French éréthisme, from Ancient Greek ἐρεθισμός (erethismós), from ἐρεθίζειν (erethízein, “to irritate”).