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An acute, sometimes fatal episode of delirium usually caused by withdrawal or abstinence from alcohol following habitual excessive drinking. It also may occur during an episode of heavy alcohol consumption.
[New Latin dēlīrium tremēns : Latin dēlīrium, delirium + Latin tremēns, trembling.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
delirium tremens(ˈtrɛmɛnz; ˈtriː-)
(Psychiatry) a severe psychotic condition occurring in some persons with chronic alcoholism, characterized by delirium, tremor, anxiety, and vivid hallucinations. Abbreviation: dt or DT's (informal)
[C19: New Latin, literally: trembling delirium]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
delir′ium tre′mens(ˈtri mənz, -mɛnz)
a withdrawal syndrome occurring in persons who have developed physiological dependence on alcohol, characterized by tremor, hallucinations, and autonomic instability. Also called the d.t.'s.
[1813; < New Latin: trembling delirium]
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