[kat-uh-toh-nee-uh, -tohn-yuh] 
| a syndrome seen most frequently in schizophrenia, characterized by muscular rigidity and mental stupor, sometimes alternating with great excitement and confusion. |
| cat·a·to·ni·a (kāt'ə-tō'nē-ə) n. An abnormal condition variously characterized by stupor, stereotypy, mania, and either rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs. It is most often associated with schizophrenia. [New Latin, from German Katatonie, from Greek katatonos, stretching tight, from katateinein, to stretch tight : kata-, intensive pref.; see cata- + teinein, to stretch; see ten- in Indo-European roots.] cat'a·ton'ic (-tŏn'ĭk) adj. & n., cat'a·ton'i·cal·ly adv. |
catatonia cat·a·to·ni·a (kāt'ə-tō'nē-ə)
n.
An abnormal condition often associated with schizophrenia and variously characterized by stupor, stereotypy, mania, and either rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs.
catatonic jargon
A description of a system that gives no indication that it is still working. This might be because it has crashed without being able to give any error message or because it is busy but not designed to give any feedback.
Compare buzz.
[The Jargon File]
(2004-08-19)
əˈtoʊ