ecstasy

[ ek-stuh-see ]
/ ˈɛk stə si /

noun, plural ec·sta·sies.

rapturous delight.
an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.
the frenzy of poetic inspiration.
mental transport or rapture from the contemplation of divine things.

Origin of ecstasy

1350–1400; Middle English extasie < Middle French < Medieval Latin extasis < Greek ékstasis displacement, trance, equivalent to ek- ec- + stásis stasis

SYNONYMS FOR ecstasy

synonym study for ecstasy

2. Ecstasy, rapture, transport, exaltation share a sense of being taken or moved out of one's self or one's normal state, and entering a state of intensified or heightened feeling. Ecstasy suggests an intensification of emotion so powerful as to produce a trancelike dissociation from all but the single overpowering feeling: an ecstasy of rage, grief, love. Rapture shares the power of ecstasy but most often refers to an elevated sensation of bliss or delight, either carnal or spiritual: the rapture of first love. Transport, somewhat less extreme than either ecstasy or rapture, implies a strength of feeling that results in expression of some kind: They jumped up and down in a transport of delight. Exaltation refers to a heady sense of personal well-being so powerful that one is lifted above normal emotional levels and above normal people: wild exaltation at having finally broken the record.

Words nearby ecstasy

Example sentences from the Web for ecstasies

British Dictionary definitions for ecstasies

ecstasy
/ (ˈɛkstəsɪ) /

noun plural -sies

(often plural) a state of exalted delight, joy, etc; rapture
intense emotion of any kind an ecstasy of rage
psychol overpowering emotion characterized by loss of self-control and sometimes a temporary loss of consciousness: often associated with orgasm, religious mysticism, and the use of certain drugs
archaic a state of prophetic inspiration, esp of poetic rapture
slang 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; MDMA: a powerful drug that acts as a stimulant and can produce hallucinations

Word Origin for ecstasy

C14: from Old French extasie, via Medieval Latin from Greek ekstasis displacement, trance, from existanai to displace, from ex- out + histanai to cause to stand

Medical definitions for ecstasies

ecstasy
[ ĕkstə-sē ]

n.

MDMA.