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echolalia

(ek′ō lā′lē ə)

noun

the automatic repetition by someone of words spoken in his or her presence, esp. as a symptom of mental disorder

Origin: ModL < echo (see echo) + -lalia, speech defect < Gr lalia, speech < lalein, to talk, prattle < redupl. of IE echoic *la- (as in L lallare, Ger lallen, to lull)

See echolalia in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Psychiatry The immediate and involuntary repetition of words or phrases just spoken by others, often a symptom of autism or some types of schizophrenia.
An infant's repetition of the sounds made by others, a normal occurrence in childhood development.

Origin:

Origin: echo

Origin: + Greek laliā, talk (from lalos, talkative)

Related Forms: