narcolepsy

noun

nar·​co·​lep·​sy ˈnär-kə-ˌlep-sē 

plural narcolepsies

: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations

narcoleptic

ˌnär-kə-ˈlep-tik 

adjective

Examples of narcolepsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This type of narcolepsy is often confirmed by a spinal tap showing a lack of the neurotransmitter orexin. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024

Treatment for narcolepsy typically includes medications such as stimulants, dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (DNRIs), histamine-3 (H3) receptor antagonists/inverse agonists, and antidepressants. —Karen Berger, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2024

For Shand, who has narcolepsy with cataplexy, the years since her diagnosis have brought waves of frustration and grief but also a sense of loneliness. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2024

One lot of a drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy has been recalled because the medication in the bottle might not match the medication on the label. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French narcolepsie, from narco- narco- + -lepsie -lepsy

Note: The French word was introduced by the physician and neurologist Jean-Baptiste Gélineau in "De la narcolepsie," Gazette des hôpitaux civils et militaires, 53e année, no. 76 (1er juillet 1880), p. 626: "Je propose de donner le nom de narcolepsie (de νάρκωσις, somnolence, et λαμβάνειν, saisir, prendre) à une névrose rare ou du moins peu connue jusqu'à ce jour, caractérisée par un besoin de dormir impérieux, subit et de courte durée, se reproduisant à des intervalles plus ou moins rapprochées." ("I propose to give the name narcolepsy (from nárkōsis, drowsiness, and lambánein, to seize, take) to a neurosis that is rare, or at least little known up to now, characterized by a pressing urge to sleep, sudden and of short duration, reoccurring in more or less close succession.")

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

narcolepsy

noun

nar·​co·​lep·​sy ˈnär-kə-ˌlep-sē 

plural narcolepsies

: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations compare hypersomnia sense 2