nympholept

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek νυμφόληπτος (numphólēptos, “caught by nymphs, frenzied”), from νύμφη (númphē) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”).

Noun

nympholept (plural nympholepts)

  1. A person in a state of nympholepsy.
    • 1922, D.H. Lawrence, The Evening Land:
      Dark faery, / Modern, unissued, instinctive America, / Your nascent faery people / Lurking among the deeps of your industrial thicket, / Allure me till I am beside myself, / A nympholept.
    • 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 87:
      "I don't mind young nympholepts, but I draw the line at a paint-raddled old bitch of - " He had not noticed Rita, hidden in the big leather chair with its back to him, but as she moved to look round at him, he arrested his whisky at the moment of tossing it off to say "Oh, sorry, Grimsby, I didn't know you had a visitor."
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