apoplexy

[ ap-uh-plek-see ]

noun

1. stroke ¹( def 6 ).
2. a sudden, usually marked loss of bodily function due to rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel.
3. a hemorrhage into an organ cavity or tissue.
4. a state of extreme anger.

apoplexy

/ ˈæpəˌplɛksɪ /

noun

1. sudden loss of consciousness, often followed by paralysis, caused by rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel in the brain

Word History and Origins

Origin of apoplexy¹

1350–1400; Middle English apoplexie < Late Latin < Greek, equivalent to apóplēkt ( os ) ( apoplectic ) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of apoplexy¹

C14: from Old French apoplexie, from Late Latin apoplēxia, from Greek: from apoplēssein to cripple by a stroke, from plēssein to strike

Example Sentences

It’s hard to pin down the moment in “Oh, Mary!,” a comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln, that will send Lincoln scholars and purists into apoplexy.

From New York Times

It tended to be Thorgerson, by all accounts a stubborn genius, driving the record executives to apoplexy.

From New York Times

“You’re going to pop an artery and give yourself an apoplexy!”

From Literature

Biden’s declaration, coming just a week before Obama was to launch his reelection campaign, sent the president’s advisers into apoplexy.

From Washington Post

Tudyk deftly dispenses both deadpan stares and comic apoplexy, and through the first half of its initial season, the show was consistently clever and astringently funny.

From New York Times