narcolepsy

noun

nar·​co·​lep·​sy ˈnär-kə-ˌlep-sē How to pronounce narcolepsy (audio)
plural narcolepsies
Synonyms of narcolepsynext
: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations
narcoleptic adjective

Examples of narcolepsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company working on new medicines for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, like narcolepsy. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026 Centessa is behind Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which has submitted a drug for narcolepsy type 1 to regulators for review, and Alkermes, which plans to start a Phase 3 program for its narcolepsy treatment this year. Ed Silverman, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026 Lee allegedly told officers that Perpétuo suffered from narcolepsy and had fallen in the shower. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026 Experimental drugs increasing orexin may also help people with narcolepsy stay awake longer. Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for narcolepsy

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French narcolepsie, from narco- narco- + -lepsie -lepsy

Note: The French word was introduced by the physician and neurologist Jean-Baptiste Gélineau in "De la narcolepsie," Gazette des hôpitaux civils et militaires, 53e année, no. 76 (1er juillet 1880), p. 626: "Je propose de donner le nom de narcolepsie (de νάρκωσις, somnolence, et λαμβάνειν, saisir, prendre) à une névrose rare ou du moins peu connue jusqu'à ce jour, caractérisée par un besoin de dormir impérieux, subit et de courte durée, se reproduisant à des intervalles plus ou moins rapprochées." ("I propose to give the name narcolepsy (from nárkōsis, drowsiness, and lambánein, to seize, take) to a neurosis that is rare, or at least little known up to now, characterized by a pressing urge to sleep, sudden and of short duration, reoccurring in more or less close succession.")

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of narcolepsy was in 1880

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Cite this Entry

“Narcolepsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcolepsy. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

Medical Definition

narcolepsy

noun
nar·​co·​lep·​sy ˈnär-kə-ˌlep-sē How to pronounce narcolepsy (audio)
plural narcolepsies
: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations compare hypersomnia sense 2
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