English Explanatory Dictionary

drapetomania

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The desire of slaves to run away, viewed as a mental illness.
  2. An overwhelming urge to run away (from home, a bad situation, responsibility, etc.).

Word forms

drapetomania

Etymology

Coined in 1851 by Samuel A. Cartwright as a name for a supposed mental illness that caused black slaves to flee captivity. Ancient Greek δραπέτης (drapétēs, “runaway slave”) + μανία (manía, “madness”).

Related words

dysaesthesia aethiopica
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