stereotypy

[ ster-ee-uh-tahy-pee, steer- ]
/ ˈstɛr i əˌtaɪ pi, ˈstɪər- /

noun

the stereotype process.
Also called stereotyped behavior. Psychiatry. persistent mechanical repetition of speech or movement, sometimes occurring as a symptom of schizophrenia, autism, or other mental disorder.

Origin of stereotypy

First recorded in 1860–65; stereotype + -y3

Words nearby stereotypy

stereotaxis, stereotomy, stereotropism, stereotype, stereotyped, stereotypy, stereovision, steric, steric hindrance, sterigma, sterilant

Example sentences from the Web for stereotypy

  • Stereotypy and perseveration are other evidences of this narrowness of thought content.

    Benign Stupors |August Hoch

  • It indicates a tendency to mental  stereotypy, so frequently encountered in testing the feeble-minded.

    The Measurement of Intelligence |Lewis Madison Terman

  • More akin to the tics is stereotypy of written language, so common an appanage of mental disease.

    Tics and Their Treatment |Henry Meigne

British Dictionary definitions for stereotypy

stereotypy
/ (ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪpɪ, ˈstɪər-) /

noun

the act or process of making stereotype printing plates
a tendency to think or act in rigid, repetitive, and often meaningless patterns

Medical definitions for stereotypy

stereotypy
[ stĕr′ē-ə-tī′pē ]

n.

The maintenance of one attitude for a long period.
The constant repetition of certain meaningless gestures or movements.