English

Noun

echolalia ‎(countable and uncountable, plural echolalias)

1. (clinical psychology) The immediate, involuntary, and repetitive echoing of words or phrases spoken by another.
2. An infant's repetitive imitation of vocal sounds spoken by another person, occurring naturally during childhood development.
3. Any apparently meaningless, repetitious noises, especially voices.
   • 1926, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Penguin 2000, p. 50:

     There was the boom of a bass drum, and the voice of the orchestra leader rang out suddenly above the echolalia of the garden.

Translations

References

• “echolalia” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
• “echolalia” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.