latah: Meaning and Definition of

la•tah

Pronunciation: (lä'tu), [key]
— n.
  1. a pattern of neurotic behavior, usually induced by a startle, first discovered in Malaya, and characterized by the compulsive imitation of the actions and words of others.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.