shellshock
shellshock Lexical Profile
shellshock Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Psychological trauma and acute stress experienced by soldiers as a result of combat, especially as diagnosed during the First World War; post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Historians have extensively documented how thousands of veterans returning from the trenches suffered from severe shellshock."
A state of sudden shock, confusion, or bewilderment caused by an unexpected and overwhelming event.
"The sudden collapse of the company left the entire workforce in a state of complete shellshock."
• verb
To cause someone to suffer severe psychological trauma, shock, or utter bewilderment.
"The unexpected announcement of the merger seemed to shellshock the board of directors."
Word Nuance & Usage
More commonly written as the open compound 'shell shock' for the noun and hyphenated 'shell-shock' for the verb. In modern clinical usage, the term has been superseded by 'post-traumatic stress disorder' (PTSD).
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1915 by British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers in The Lancet during World War I to describe the psychological trauma suffered by soldiers exposed to heavy artillery bombardment.