pavor nocturnus
- noun
- /ˈpeɪvər nɒkˈtɜrnəs/
- Specialized
:
pavor nocturnus
- Fleming approaches the problem by examining the case of Brian Thomas, a man who suffered from the very real problem of night terrors, also known as pavor nocturnus.
Examples
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Many children experience pavor nocturnus, which can leave them screaming in fear during the night.
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The doctor explained that pavor nocturnus is more intense than common nightmares, causing severe panic and distress.
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After her episode of pavor nocturnus, she woke up feeling exhausted and confused about what happened.
Synonyms
22
7.8
A sleep event, often in children, when a child wakes screaming in great fear and does not remember it
A sleep problem where someone wakes from deep sleep with intense fear and often screams, usually without memory
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
pavor + nocturnus
The phrase is Latin (pavor = fear, nocturnus = of the night), so a learner who explicitly knew those roots could infer a basic 'night-fear' meaning and relate it to night terrors. However, it is a medicalized Latin term used in English and does not follow ordinary English composition patterns, and the full clinical sense (intense non‑REM panic/screaming) is not fully predictable from the literal parts, so transparency is only partial.
Etymology
Pavor nocturnus comes from Latin words pavor ('fear') and nocturnus ('night'), so it literally means 'night fear'. It describes a sudden, strong panic that happens while someone is sleeping, which is why it now means a very severe night terror.