An abnormal or excessive sensitivity or irritability of the nervous system; heightened nervous excitability or reactivity.
From Greek dys- (bad, abnormal) + erethiza (from erethizein, to irritate or stimulate). This rare neurological term describes a state of heightened nervous sensitivity, particularly in response to stimuli.
This word captures something modern neuroscience calls 'central sensitization'—when your nervous system gets stuck in overdrive and responds too strongly to everything. Ancient doctors didn't have the mechanisms right, but they recognized the condition.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.