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I vaguely remember seeing this word years ago, it started with "log-". I want to know what this word is because I have this problem all the time (as many others do), where the word I am thinking of is right at the tip of my tongue but I just can't remember it.

It's a bit fitting for this situation, isn't it?

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You're most likely thinking of lethologica, but you should note that this is a psychological condition, as opposed to the passing frustration we all experience from time to time.

A more accurate term for the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is the French presque vu (literally, "almost seen").

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  • I'm French and I tend to think that “presque vu” is (unlike “déjà vu”) not exactly a French expression but an expression made up out of French words.
    – Stéphane Gimenez
    Sep 2, 2012 at 16:48
  • @StéphaneGimenez: Does the expression make sense in French, or is it a failed translation?
    – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
    Nov 14, 2014 at 17:20
  • No "presque vu" is not it in French. The term given in Wikipedia "avoir le mot sur le bout de la langue" (sorry no diacritics) is the usual one in French. To make it a noun-phrase you need to prefix it with "le phenomene du ..." as done in this French psychology book for instance.
    – Fizz
    Oct 28, 2015 at 13:19
  • I searched for "Presque vu" in Google Books, but that didn't locate any French books using this term with this alleged meaning, only English ones... This latter phrase is a common one in French though with the regular/literal meaning of "almost seen", and I've lost patience trying to find one with the putative memory-related meaning.
    – Fizz
    Oct 28, 2015 at 13:27
  • Furthermore, a German-American psychologist used "presque vu" to denote a visual-cognitive phenomenon while being intoxicated with mescaline: books.google.com/books?id=KJtQptBcZloC&pg=PA422 although I suppose the wider meaning of "being on the verge of an epiphany" could encompass tip-of-the-tongue. But there's a more specialized phrase for the latter in French as I previously noted.
    – Fizz
    Oct 28, 2015 at 13:34
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The word is dysnomia or aphasia. and it is a memory storage disorder. You brain learns the word and just places it randomly in your memory storage. When you go to recall the word your brain cannot find it right away because it is not where it should be. That is why you usually remember it later that night or the next day, because though you have given up your brain has not and it continues to check your memory for the answer!

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    Those are both considered disorders; see aphasia and dysnomia. I'm not sure the question refers to a disorder.
    – Kazark
    Oct 17, 2012 at 16:57
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No it's not logonamnia. I just found it. It's actually loganamnosis! Yay!

Edit: Word Info, A mania, or obsession, for trying to recall forgotten words or a specific word.

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    It this a neologism or has it been around for some time? I couldn't find it outside of some personal pages / word lists and aggregates online. Mind you, the construction makes sense. Would you mind including the etymology in your answer? :)
    – Zairja
    Sep 2, 2012 at 14:26
  • -1 for lack of credible evidence. I don't see it in any of the online dictionaries I've looked in.
    – coleopterist
    Oct 17, 2012 at 16:34
  • I found loganamnosis online and it says: A mania, or obsession, for trying to recall forgotten words or a specific word
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 26, 2013 at 10:04

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