palsy

1 loss of the ability to move a body part [syn: paralysis]

2 a condition marked by uncontrollable tremor v : affect with palsy [also: palsied]

English

Noun

1. Complete or partial muscle paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by a loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking.

Synonyms

• paralysis

Derived terms

• cerebral palsy

Verb

palsy

1. to paralyse, either completely or partially

Quotations

• 1831, William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator, To The Public http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2928t.html

  In the month of August, I issued proposals for publishing "THE LIBERATOR" in Washington city; but the enterprise, though hailed in different sections of the country, was palsied by public indifference.

Palsy is a medical term derived from the word paralysis that is defined as paralysis of a body part often accompanied by loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking. It occurs in the name of several medical conditions including cerebral palsy (caused by some intracranial lesions), brachial palsy (paralysis of an arm) and Bell's palsy.

MS, ague, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, apoplexy, brain disease, bumpiness, catalepsy, cataplexy, cephalalgia, cerebral palsy, chattering, chorea, cold shivers, diplegia, emotional disorder, epilepsy, falling sickness, fits and starts, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, headache, hemiplegia, herpes zoster, infantile paralysis, ischialgia, jactation, jactitation, jerkiness, joltiness, migraine, multiple sclerosis, nervous disorder, neuralgia, neuritis, neuropathy, organic psychosis, paralysis, paraplegia, paresis, polio, poliomyelitis, polyneuritis, pressure neuropathy, priapism, quaking, quavering, quivering, radiculitis, sciatic neuritis, sciatica, sensory paralysis, shakes, shaking, shaking palsy, shingles, shivering, shivers, shuddering, spasms, spastic paralysis, stroke, succussion, the jerks, tic douloureux, toxic psychosis, trembling, tremulousness, vibration