Tags

, , , ,

Onomatomania – [ŏn’ə•māt’ə•mā’nē•ə] – noun:

  1. the frustration at being unable to think of an appropriate word (OED)
  2. an abnormal concentration on certain words and their supposed significance or on the effort to recall a particular word. (The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary)
  3. Obsession by a word or name; constant involuntary dwelling of the mind upon some one word (Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia)
  4. obsession with a particular word which the person uses repeatedly or which intrudes into consciousness (WordNet 3.6)

 

Thoughts: 4 definitions. 4 different answers. The subtle differences in these definitions could seriously effect the connotation. The thing to consider is that these definitions aren’t listed as 1 thru 4, where they each mean something different. This is the primary definition, with phrasing taken from 4 difference sources. I suppose, it’s sort a WTF moment.