Definition of "psychopathy" [psy•chop•a•thy]

• Mental disorder, especially when manifested by antisocial behavior. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word psychopathy dates back in an early form to the 19th century, but as a modern term it's primarily used in reference to the work of Canadian psychologist Robert Hare."
• "It was only a matter of time before House tackled a psychopath, and of course it would have to be someone where the psychopathy was a curable symptom."
• "One of the differences between anti-social personality disorder and psychopathy, which is not considered a mental illness, is that those who are psychopathic plan their acts of violence against others, whereas those who have anti-social personality disorder do not premeditate such acts."