Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hysteria \Hys*te"ri*a\, n. [NL.: cf. F. hyst['e]rie. See
   {Hysteric}.] (Med.)
   A nervous affection, occurring almost exclusively in women,
   in which the emotional and reflex excitability is
   exaggerated, and the will power correspondingly diminished,
   so that the patient loses control over the emotions, becomes
   the victim of imaginary sensations, and often falls into
   paroxism or fits.

   Note: The chief symptoms are convulsive, tossing movements of
         the limbs and head, uncontrollable crying and laughing,
         and a choking sensation as if a ball were lodged in the
         throat. The affection presents the most varied
         symptoms, often simulating those of the gravest
         diseases, but generally curable by mental treatment
         alone.

Source : WordNet®

hysteria
     n 1: state of violent mental agitation [syn: {craze}, {delirium},
           {frenzy}, {fury}]
     2: excessive or uncontrollable fear
     3: neurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional
        outbreaks and disturbances of sensory and motor functions
        [syn: {hysterical neurosis}]