Electroshock

/ɪˈlɛktrəʃɒk/ noun

A medical treatment (now mostly obsolete) that used controlled electric currents through the brain to treat severe mental illness.

A 20th-century compound of 'electro-' from Greek 'elektron' (amber) and 'shock' from Dutch/Flemish origins. The practice developed in 1930s Europe as a psychiatric treatment for conditions like depression and schizophrenia.

📖 Full word page — etymology, 47 translations, audio 🔑 Get Free API Key — 50 lookups/day 📚 Read the Docs — integrate Word Orb