Sunday Word: Horripilation

[sallymn]

horripilation [haw-rip-uh-ley-shuhn, ho-]

noun:
a bristling of the hair of the head or body (as from fright or excitement); goose bumps

(click to enlarge)
Examples:

I can’t have been the only person who spent the evening in a pretty much constant state of horripilation. (Alexis Soloski, Review: In 'All Is Calm,' Thrilling Song in the Trenches, New York Times, November 2018)

Goosebumps, chills, horripilation, nail-biting, and cold shivers were the many states many were left in at the Miss Malaika Fashion show after the arrival of Ghana's most renowned style icon, Nana Akua Addo. (Kwasy Danyels, How Nana Akua Addo Slayed At Miss Malaika Fashion Show In Her Stunning Outfit, Modern Ghana, October 2018)

Adrenaline stimulates tiny muscles to pull on the roots of our hairs, making them stand out from our skin. That distorts the skin, causing bumps to form. Call it horripilation, and you'll be right — bristling from cold or fear. (Adam Cole and Ryan Kellman, The Hair-Raising Science Of Goose Bumps, NPR, December 2019)

It seemed by its thorns to be in a state of perpetual horripilation, and by its roaming black antelopes to be rolling its eyes. (Norman Douglas, Old Calabria)

Suddenly he was swept by horripilation. The goosebumps swept up from his ankles all the way to the nape of his neck, where the hairs stirred and tried to stand up. (Stephen King, Under the Dome)

A wonderful desire and love impel men from distant regions to visit the holy spot, and the first sight of the Ka'abah causes awe and fear, horripilation and tears. (Sir Richard Francis Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah)

Origin:

1650s, from Late Latin horripilationem (nominative horripilatio), noun of action from past participle stem of horripilare 'bristle with hairs, be shaggy,' from stem of horrere 'to bristle' + pilus 'hair'. The verb horripilate is attested from 1620s. (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Horripilation is a technical term for what happens when your hair stands up, such as when you’re cold, scared, or excited. We popularly call this goose bumps (or goose pimples, gooseflesh, or goose skin). Horripilation doesn’t only happen in humans. When some animals get startled or threatened, their fur raises in response. (When the fur becomes raised in this way on the neck, such as on a dog or cat, we say they’ve raised their hackles.)The same thing happens in humans, and is usually most noticeable in places where we don’t have much hair or the hair is very fine, such as the arms and neck. The verb horripilate means to trigger horripilation - to give someone goose bumps, as in Horror movies have the power to horripilate the viewer. It can also mean to experience horripilation - to get goose bumps. Example: A well-known example of horripilation in animals is the raising of a porcupine’s quills. (Dictionary.com)

Comments

[full_metal_ox]

I first encountered the word (in adjectival form) in the story “Horripilate Host” by Don Glut and Dick Giordano, from the comic book Chilling Adventures In Sorcery #4 (December 1973):

http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2026/07/horripilate-host-prince-of-evil-19.html