paralysis

[puh-ral-uh-sis]

noun

plural

paralyses 

1. Pathology.

   1. a loss or impairment of voluntary movement in a body part, caused by injury or disease of the nerves, brain, or spinal cord.

   2. a disease characterized by this, especially palsy.

2. a state of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.

   The strike caused a paralysis of all shipping.

paralysis

/ pəˈrælɪsɪs /

noun

1. pathol

   1. impairment or loss of voluntary muscle function or of sensation ( sensory paralysis ) in a part or area of the body, usually caused by a lesion or disorder of the muscles or the nerves supplying them

   2. a disease characterized by such impairment or loss; palsy

2. cessation or impairment of activity

   paralysis of industry by strikes

paralysis

1. Loss or impairment of voluntary movement or sensation in a part of the body, usually as a result of neurologic injury or disease.

paralysis

1. The loss of voluntary movement in a body part. Paralysis results from damage to the nerves that supply the affected part of the body.

Other Word Forms

• nonparalysis noun
• semiparalysis noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of paralysis¹

before 1150; < Latin < Greek parálysis, equivalent to paraly-, var stem of paralȳ́ein to loosen (i.e., disable) on one side ( para- para- ¹ + lȳ́ein to loosen) + -sis -sis; replacing Middle English paralisi ( e ) < Old French < Latin, as above; replacing late Old English paralisin (accusative) < Latin, as above; palsy ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of paralysis¹

C16: via Latin from Greek paralusis; see _para- ¹ , _-lysis

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the “dollar is dying” story persists — fed by America’s debt burden, political paralysis in Washington and what some describe as a “cold civil war” within the West itself.

Read more on MarketWatch

For some, this has engendered a sense of paralysis.

Read more on MarketWatch

Enterovirus D68, which in rare cases can cause polio-like paralysis in children, is on the rise in California and across the nation, analyses show.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The NLRB’s paralysis has put hundreds of cases in limbo, with the agency currently lacking the ability to compel employers to bargain with their workers’ unions, or to stop unfair treatment on the job.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Paris has managed to engineer a “Seinfeld” crisis—political paralysis about nothing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apathy 
• laziness 
• passivity 
• sluggishness www.thesaurus.com