delirium tremens
1
9.9
- noun
- /dɪˈlɪrɪəm ˈtrɛmənz/
- Specialized
:
delirio tremens
- Alcohol withdrawal can lead to a life-threatening condition known as delirium tremens, which is marked by tremors and hallucinations.
Examples
-
Early systemic complications included delirium tremens (3), pneumonia (3), meningitis (1), deep vein thrombosis (1), and congestive heart failure (1).
Academic text (2005) -
He's shaking like an alcoholic going into delirium tremens.
Fiction book (1998) -
My hopes are high but somewhat shaky; experience has shown that delirium tremens is not always fatal.
Fiction book (1997) -
I muttered my plans one night whilst in the throes of delirium tremens...
-
This is the continuous present of delirium tremens narrating repeated moments when past and present collapse.
Academic text (2016) -
A condition in which a person has symptoms of mental confusion, extreme excitement, anxiety, trembling, rapid pulse, and illusion is known as delirium tremens, and this condition is due to the excessive consumption of alcohol.
Blog text (32) -
Moreover, through the use of intertitles referring to specific illnesses caused by alcohol, such as "delirium tremens" or "alcoholic epilepsy," the filmed men are stripped of any individuality and reduced to case studies.
Academic text (2016) -
Individuals who are heavy drinkers may experience delirium tremens when they suddenly stop drinking, resulting in severe confusion and tremors.
-
He was hospitalized after suffering from delirium tremens, which caused him to see things that weren't there and shake uncontrollably.
Synonyms
19
8.5
A confused, excited state of mind with seeing or believing things that are not real
1
9.9
Severe sudden confusion, shaking, and seeing or hearing things after stopping drinking
How Disturbed
Surface Forms
Morphology
delirium + tremens
The constituent 'delirium' clearly signals a mental disturbance, and 'tremens' (a Latin form related to trembling) can cue the presence of tremors, so a learner might infer 'delirium with shaking' but not the full clinical profile. The phrase is a specialized medical/Latin term whose specific association with alcohol withdrawal and hallucinations is not predictable from everyday vocabulary, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Delirium tremens literally names the main symptoms: delirium means wild 'confusion' and tremens means 'shaking'. It was used for people who became very confused and shook after stopping heavy drinking, so today it means a very serious state where a person is confused and shakes after they stop drinking alcohol.