miryachit means A nervous disorder said to have been encountered in Siberia, characterized by a jumping tic and the involuntary imitation of the words and actions of other people. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “miryachit” is a great word
MIRYACHIT — [Noun] A historically documented nervous condition, observed in Siberia, characterized by an irresistible compulsion to imitate the actions and speech of others, accompanied by a startle-induced jumping tic. Its name is borrowed from the Russian миря́чить (mirjáčitʹ), меря́чить (merjáčitʹ), or эмиря́чить (emirjáčitʹ), meaning 'to suffer from a special nervous disorder'. Unlike latah, which denotes a culture-bound startle syndrome of Southeast Asia, or Tourette syndrome, a chronic neurodevelopmental tic disorder beginning in childhood, miryachit is the archaic, geographical label for a mirrored affliction found in the cold. It is the involuntary shudder of a body becoming an imperfect mirror across a frozen street, the throat seizing another’s words like a cold draft, the startled leap that lands in another person’s posture—a profound testament to the strange permeability of the self, a portrait of the personality as an echo chamber slowly filling with snow.
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian миря́чить (mirjáčitʹ), меря́чить (merjáčitʹ) or эмиря́чить (emirjáčitʹ, “to suffer from a special nervous disorder”).
noun
- A nervous disorder said to have been encountered in Siberia, characterized by a jumping tic and the involuntary imitation of the words and actions of other people.