paramnesia
9.9
A memory problem where dreams or things you imagine seem like real events
- noun
- /ˌpærəmˈniːziə/
- Specialized
:
paramnesia
- The therapist explained that paramnesia can occur when a person has difficulty distinguishing between what they dreamed and what actually happened.
Examples
-
After the accident, she suffered from paramnesia, often confusing her dreams with actual memories.
-
His experience with paramnesia made him believe that the vivid dreams he had were real events.
-
It's called paramnesia.
Surface Forms
paramnesia singular
paramnesias plural
Morphology
paramnesia = para + mnes + ia
Although the word is historically built from the classical prefix para- and the memory root mnes-, the bound forms are not transparent to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Paramnesia comes from the Greek parts para- 'beside' (or 'wrong') and -mnesia 'memory', the same -mnesia you see in amnesia. So, paramnesia is when memories sit 'beside' reality and get mixed with dreams or imagination, which is why it means confusing imagined events with what really happened.
