conniption

Since 1833, from American English. Unknown origin, probably a fanciful alternation of corruption etc., or maybe related to captious.[1]

• IPA^(key): /kəˈnɪp.ʃən/

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conniption (plural conniptions)

1. (informal) A fit of anger or panic; conniption fit.

   Synonyms: tantrum; see also Thesaurus:tantrum

   When she came downstairs and saw what her children were eating, she had a conniption.

   • 2001, “My Plague”, in Iowa, performed by Slipknot:

     I'm in conniptions for the final act you came here for

   • 2008 October 20, Businessweek:

     […] threatened by the conniptions gripping Wall Street

2. A fit of laughing; convulsion.

   The joke was not that funny, but he went into conniptions laughing.

• Appendix:Fanciful 19th century American coinages

• “conniption”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “conniption”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “conniption”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.