noun
hysteria
his-TAIR-ee-uh/hɪˈsteriə/
Uncontrolled emotional excitement or panic.
The burst balloon sends the startled crowd into hysteria.
Etymology
The “womb” root reflects an old medical belief that the condition arose from uterine dysfunction. The term later broadened beyond that diagnosis to uncontrolled emotion or excitement.
In context
She played the hysteria perfectly when Arnold fled. Screaming, crying, acting like she knew nothing. Was it an act? Most historians think she knew everything.