horripilation

noun

hor·​rip·​i·​la·​tion hȯ-ˌri-pə-ˈlā-shən 

hä-

: a bristling of the hair of the head or body (as from fright or excitement) : goose bumps

Suddenly he was swept by horripilation. The goosebumps swept up from his ankles all the way to the nape of his neck, where the hairs stirred and tried to lift.

—Stephen King

horripilate

hȯ-ˈri-pə-ˌlāt 

hä-

verb, transitive + intransitive

horripilated; horripilating; horripilates

The Devil's Reign reads like a memoir with a supernatural element designed to entertain and horripilate the reader …

—ForeWord

Examples of horripilation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin horripilātiōn-, horripilātiō "bristling of hair," from horripilāre "to shudder" (Latin, "to become bristly or hairy," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver" + -i- -i- + -pilāre, verbal derivative of pilus "hair," of obscure origin) + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

horripilation

noun

hor·​rip·​i·​la·​tion hȯ-ˌrip-ə-ˈlā-shən, hä- 

: a bristling of the hair of the head or body (as from disease, terror, or chilliness) : goose bumps

horripilate

hȯ-ˈrip-ə-ˌlāt, hä- 

transitive verb

horripilated; horripilating