echolalia

UK: /ˌɛkəʊˈleɪlɪə/ US: (ek′ō lā′lē ə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ech•o•la•li•a  (ek′ō lā′lē ə), n. 

1. Psychiatry the uncontrollable and immediate repetition of words spoken by another person.
2. the imitation by a baby of the vocal sounds produced by others, occurring as a natural phase of childhood development.

• 1880–85; echo + -lalia

ech•o•lal•ic: (ek′ō lal′ik, -lā′lik), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

echolalia / ˌɛkəʊˈleɪlɪə/ noun

1. the tendency to repeat mechanically words just spoken by another person: can occur in cases of neurological damage and psychiatric disorder

Etymology: 19th Century: from New Latin, from echo + Greek lalia talk, chatter, from lalein to chatter