Cacaesthesia

/ˌkækəɪsˈθiːziə/ noun

Definition

A distorted or unpleasant sensation on the skin, such as a burning feeling when something is actually cold.

Etymology

From Greek kakos (bad) + aisthetis (sensation). Medical term coined in the 19th century to describe abnormal sensory perception.

Kelly Says

This condition reveals something mind-bending: your brain interprets touch, not your skin—people with cacaesthesia have brains that mistranslate signals, like a radio picking up the wrong station.

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