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#173251 02/07/08 03:22 AM
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having been asked recently to coin a word for a mutual friend with the questionable habit of falling asleep on the toilet, we settled on the term 'somnexudator', modelled on somnambulator, for one who defecates in their sleep

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Somebody needs to get more sleep, preferably while laying down.
Has your friend ever fallen off?

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linguistically, it's not the best -- the Latin root is sudare meaning to sweat...

edit: somnifecator?

Last edited by tsuwm; 02/07/08 03:53 AM.
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'Nocturnal encopresis' is the psychiatric term for the involuntary passing of feces during sleep for no known physiological reason. Same term with 'enuresis' applies to bedwetting.

Your friend is actually falling asleep on the toilet, not passing out? Passing out while defecating is actually quite common, but sleeping...I can't say I've ever heard of that. Is your friend on sleep meds?

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Nocturnal encopresis

From Greek εν- en-) 'in, within' + κοπρος (kopros) 'extrement; filth' + ISV -sis suffix denoting 'state, condition'. For toilet, the closest Greek word I know of is αφεδρων (aphedrōn) 'privy' < απ(ο)- (ap-) 'from, away' + εδρα (hedra) 'place to sit', which is probably soldiers' slang and occurs once in Matthew 15:17 ("Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?"). 'To fall sleep' is κοιμαω (koima) and επικοιμαομαι (epikoimaomai) 'to fall sleep after or over (a thing)', so how about: epicoemaphedronesis?


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zmjezhd #173259 02/07/08 12:12 PM
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epicoemaphedronesis vs. somnifecator

hmm.


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somnifecator

Well, 'to shit' in Latin was caco (-are, -avi, -atus[/i]). Feces is from fæx, fæces, 'dregs, lees' and was a Medieval euphemism for stercus, stercoris, or merda, merdæ, 'shit'. I suppose if you want you could have somnicacator ...


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zmjezhd #173263 02/07/08 04:18 PM
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Cast: I'm surprised that Jackie let you get away with this one. When I suggested that switching from prescriptivism to de- was something like lying down and spreading your cheeks she insisted I delete my post, whereupon I complied. But of course I was making reference to the facial orifice

Sorry Jackie, no offense--just kidding


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Originally Posted By: Porcupine
'Nocturnal encopresis' is the psychiatric term for the involuntary passing of feces during sleep for no known physiological reason. Same term with 'enuresis' applies to bedwetting.

Your friend is actually falling asleep on the toilet, not passing out? Passing out while defecating is actually quite common, but sleeping...I can't say I've ever heard of that. Is your friend on sleep meds?


'Nocturnal encopresis' Wouldn't is simply be called fecal incontinence?

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I think fecal incontinence would imply that there is a known physiological cause. Or perhaps they are synonymous, I don't know. Nocturnal would imply that it only happens at night, and if one could control bodily function during the day but not while sleeping for no valid physiological reason, they wouldn't truly be incontinent. Maybe. Maybe psychiatry just likes to assert itself by refusing to borrow terms from general medicine.


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