Nympholepsy

//ˈnɪmfəˌlɛpsi// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A frenzied state of (usually erotic) emotion, especially concerning something or someone unattainable. countable, uncountable

    "If young persons of both sexes were brought together in the honest practical relations of organized labor, we should see no more of these fond nympholepsies"

  2. 2
    a frenzy of emotion; as for something unattainable wordnet

Example

More examples

"If young persons of both sexes were brought together in the honest practical relations of organized labor, we should see no more of these fond nympholepsies"

Etymology

From nympho- + -lepsy, after Ancient Greek νυμφόληπτος (numphólēptos, “frenzied by the nymphs”, adjective).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.