psychedelic
/ˈsaɪ.kəˌdɛl.ɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms psychedelics
- adjective Of, containing, generating, or reminiscent of drug-induced altered awareness, distortions of perception, hallucinations, etc.
- adjective Of graphics, etc.: having abstract shapes, bright colours, etc., reminiscent of drug-induced distortions of perception or hallucinations.
- adjective (hippie slang) Awesome, cool, groovy.
- noun Any psychoactive substance (such as LSD or psilocybin) which, when consumed, causes perceptual changes (sometimes erratic and uncontrollable), visual hallucination, and altered awareness of the body and mind.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “mind, soul”) + δῆλος (dêlos, “manifest, visible”) + English -ic (prefix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’), coined by the English psychiatrist Humphry Osmond (1917–2004) in a 1956 letter to Aldous Huxley.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “psychedelic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details