abreact

English

Etymology

Partial calque of German abreagieren, from ab (“away from, off, down from”) + reagieren (“to react”), equivalent to ab- +‎ react.^[1]

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.ɹiˈækt/
Audio (General American): (file)

Verb

abreact (third-person singular simple present abreacts, present participle abreacting, simple past and past participle abreacted)

(transitive, psychoanalysis) To eliminate previously repressed emotions by reliving past experiences. [First attested in the early 20^th century.]^[2]
- 1973, Peter Shaffer, “Act II, Scene 25”, in Equus, page 79:
  HEATHER: But he'd deny it afterwards. Same thing all over. / DYSART: No. Because he's ready to abreact. / HEATHER: Abreact? / DYSART: Live it all again.

Derived terms

abreactive

Translations

eliminate previously repressed emotions

Danish: afreagere
Dutch: afreageren (nl)
French: abréagir (fr)
German: abreagieren (de)
Portuguese: ab-reagir

References

^ “abreact” in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 8th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1973 (1974 printing), →OCLC.
^ Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abreact”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 8.

Anagrams

abacter, bear cat, bearcat, bractea, cabaret, cat bear

[1] “abreact” in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 8th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1973 (1974 printing), →OCLC.

[SOED-2] Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abreact”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 8.

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