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A.Word.A.Day--coprolalia

coprolalia (kop-ruh-LAY-lee-uh) noun

The uncontrolled, often excessive use of obscene or scatological language that may accompany certain mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or Tourette's syndrome.

[Copro- + Greek lalia, babbling (from lalein, to talk).]

"Such uttering of obscenities and profanities, called coprolalia, is not an uncommon feature of the syndrome, but it was not common in LaCrete." Oliver Sacks, Medicine: The Divine Curse, Life, 1 Sep 1988.

This week's theme: words related to the human body, its actions and conditions.

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