narcolepsy

noun

nar·co·lep·sy ˈnär-kə-ˌlep-sē

plural narcolepsies

Synonyms of narcolepsy next

: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations

narcoleptic

ˌnär-kə-ˈlep-tik

adjective

Examples of narcolepsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On Wednesday, the agency said in a release that Teva Pharmaceuticals — maker of Adderall, a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy — has cited manufacturing delays for the shortage and difficulty meeting a surge in demand. —

Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 13 Oct. 2022 What are the different types of narcolepsy? —

Sarah Fielding, Health.com, 7 Dec. 2021 To treat anxiety, depression, narcolepsy and other neuropsychiatric diseases, millions of patients worldwide take medication that targets the transport of dopamine and other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and serotonin, but their use is not stigmatized by recreational misuse. —

Habibeh Khoshbouei, Fortune Well, 7 Apr. 2023 How are type 1 and type 2 narcolepsy treated? —

Sarah Fielding, Health.com, 7 Dec. 2021 In Paradise season 6, recently appeared on the most recent episode of Mouthing Off with Olivia Caridi to talk about everything from her narcolepsy to her experience on The Bachelor to her recent breakup with ex-fiancée and fellow BIP contestant Chris Bukowski. —

Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, 11 Sep. 2020 What are the types of narcolepsy? —

Sarah Fielding, Health.com, 8 Dec. 2021 To learn more, the team obtained hospital data on about 906 people who had been diagnosed with narcolepsy between 1998 and 2011 and further questioned a subset of them who had developed it after the flu pandemic, only 5.6% of whom had been vaccinated. —

Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 23 Aug. 2011 Before college, Brace had been diagnosed with narcolepsy and ADHD and took medication that required him to drink more water than most of his peers, the lawsuit said. —

Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'narcolepsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French narcolepsie, from narco- narco- + -lepsie -lepsy

Note: The French word was introduced by the physician and neurologist Jean-Baptiste Gélineau in "De la narcolepsie," Gazette des hôpitaux civils et militaires, 53e année, no. 76 (1er juillet 1880), p. 626: "Je propose de donner le nom de narcolepsie (de νάρκωσις, somnolence, et λαμβάνειν, saisir, prendre) à une névrose rare ou du moins peu connue jusqu'à ce jour, caractérisée par un besoin de dormir impérieux, subit et de courte durée, se reproduisant à des intervalles plus ou moins rapprochées." ("I propose to give the name narcolepsy (from nárkōsis, drowsiness, and lambánein, to seize, take) to a neurosis that is rare, or at least little known up to now, characterized by a pressing urge to sleep, sudden and of short duration, reoccurring in more or less close succession.")

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of narcolepsy was in 1880

See more words from the same year