ecstasy

ecstasy
ecstasy late 14c., "in a frenzy or stupor, fearful, excited," from O.Fr. estaise "ecstasy, rapture," from L.L. extasis, from Gk. ekstasis "entrancement, astonishment; any displacement," in NT "a trance," from existanai "displace, put out of place," also "drive out of one's mind" (existanai phrenon), from ek "out" (see EX- (Cf. ex-)) + histanai "to place, cause to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see STET (Cf. stet)). Used by 17c. mystical writers for "a state of rapture that stupefied the body while the soul contemplated divine things," which probably helped the meaning shift to "exalted state of good feeling" (1610s). Slang use for the drug 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine dates from 1985.

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  • Ecstasy — wird gewöhnlich in Tablettenform verkauft Ecstasy, auch XTC u. a., ist die Sammelbezeichnung für eine Vielzahl von Phenylethylaminen; im Idealfall allein für MDMA (rac 3,4 Methylendioxy N methylamphetamin), ein entaktogenes Amphetamin. Ecstasy… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ecstasy — may mean: * MDMA or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a psychedelic drug sold under the street name ecstasy . * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance like state in which an individual transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a changed… …   Wikipedia

  • Ecstasy — • Offers details of false views Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Ecstasy     Ecstasy     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • ecstasy — n Ecstasy, rapture, transport denote a feeling or a state of intense, sometimes excessive or extreme, mental and emotional exaltation. Ecstasy in its earlier sense, which is now found chiefly in religious and poetical writings, implies a… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • ECSTASY — ECSTASY, from Greek ekstasis, displacement, movement outwards, distraction of mind, drunken excitement, entrancement, or secondarily, astonishment. (See Mark 5:42.) In Greek religion two fundamental types of ecstasy, dionysiac and contemplative,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ecstasy — [ ɛkstazi ] n. f. • v. 1988; mot angl., proprt « extase » ♦ Drogue dérivée de l amphétamine, utilisée pour son effet désinhibiteur. ⇒ 2. x,anglic. Être sous ecstasy (ou être ecstasié ). Abrév. ECSTA . ● ecstasy nom masculin ou nom féminin …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ecstasy — Ec sta*sy, n.; pl. {Ecstasies}. [F. extase, L. ecstasis, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to put out of place, derange; ? = ek out + ? to set, stand. See {Ex }, and {Stand}.] [Also written {extasy}.] 1. The state of being beside one s self or rapt out of one s… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ecstasy — [ek′stə sē] n. pl. ecstasies [ME & OFr extasie < LL(Ec) ecstasis < Gr ekstasis, a being put out of its place, distraction, trance < ek , out + histanai, to set: see STAND] 1. a state of being overpowered by emotion, as by joy, grief, or… …   English World dictionary

  • Ecstasy — Ec sta*sy, v. t. To fill ecstasy, or with rapture or enthusiasm. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The most ecstasied order of holy . . . spirits. Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ecstasy — is not the same experience as a vision or a dream [[➝ dreams]]; it is an awareness of being taken up outside oneself, and there are only a few such mystical moments recorded in the Bible. One is by Paul in 2 Cor. 12:2, when he mentions ‘a person… …   Dictionary of the Bible

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