[Vocabulary] hysteric or hysterical

[heyt]

Hi,

Could someone help me find out if there's any difference between 'hysteric' and hysterical'?


Thank you very much,
heyt

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,

Could someone help me find out if there's any difference between 'hysteric' and hysterical'?


Thank you very much,
heyt

Hysteric = noun
Hysterical = adjective

 

[euncu]

Hysteric = noun
Hysterical = adjective

Isn't the noun "hysteria" ?

 

[emsr2d2]

Isn't the noun "hysteria" ?

Sorry, I should have differentiated. Hysteria is the noun of the actual behaviour, but a person who is hysterical can be called "a hysteric". We also say, when we've been laughing very hard "I was in hysterics!"

She is a hysteric.
She suffers from hysteria.
She gets hysterical.

 

[euncu]

Sorry, I should have differentiated. Hysteria is the noun of the actual behaviour, but a person who is hysterical can be called "a hysteric". We also say, when we've been laughing very hard "I was in hysterics!"

She is a hysteric.
She suffers from hysteria.
She gets hysterical.

Thank you very much for elaborating.

 

[BobK]

Interesting (and sexist - as so much etymology is ;-)) link to the thread about Greek derivations: the Cl. Greek for 'womb' was ύστερος - so hysteria was originally a strictly female weakness.

b

 

[Raymott]

Note also the term 'histrionic'.
This is also a behaviour type and differs in some respects to 'hysterical' behaviour.

In psychology, 'hysteria' is classified as neurosis. 'Histrionic' behaviour generally occurs as a personality trait/disorder.
Histrionic personality disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

People with a histrionic personality are more likely to have 'hysterics' and possibly more likely to develop a hysterical disorder.

Actors/actresses, show people, and entertainers often have histrionic personality types.