phantom limb

noun

1. the illusion that a limb still exists following its amputation, sometimes with pain ( phantom limb pain )

Example Sentences

Ten years ago, we wrote of American Jews’ acquiescence to Jewish nationalism: “During the 1950s and later decades, the solution for avoiding an ugly rift was a kind of preventive surgery. Universalist, prophetic Judaism became a phantom limb of American Jewry, after an amputation in service of the ideology of an ethnic state in the Middle East. Pressures for conformity became overwhelming among American Jews, whose success had been predicated on the American ideal of equal rights regardless of ethnic group origin.”

From Salon

Future models could also build upon the Minitouch to integrate thermal information from multiple points on an amputee's phantom limb -- for example, allowing people to differentiate thermal and tactile sensations on their finger and thumb might help them grasp a hot beverage, while enabling sensation in the back of the hand might improve the feeling of human connection by allowing amputees to sense when another person touches their hand.

From Science Daily

By the end of that year, the panel was monitoring 132 ongoing research projects, including studies on whether cannabis use affects antiretroviral therapy and how psilocybin helps people suffering from phantom limb pain.

From Los Angeles Times

Lori’s disappearance would remain a mystery, an open wound, an aching phantom limb, for more than four decades, until her remains were identified last month as one of at least 49 victims of Gary L. Ridgway, the Green River Killer.

From Seattle Times

A beloved piece of jewelry operates as a phantom limb or a dance partner; it’s constantly in conversation with the body through movement.

From Los Angeles Times