Etymology dictionary. 2014.
paroxysm — ► NOUN ▪ a sudden attack or outburst: a paroxysm of weeping. DERIVATIVES paroxysmal adjective. ORIGIN Greek paroxusmos, from paroxunein exasperate … English terms dictionary
Paroxysm — Par ox*ysm, n. [F. paroxysme, Gr. ?, fr. ? to sharpen, irritate; para beside, beyond + ? to sharpen, from ? sharp.] 1. (Med.) The fit, attack, or exacerbation, of a disease that occurs at intervals, or has decided remissions or intermissions.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
paroxysm — index outbreak, outburst Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
paroxysm — spasm, convulsion, *fit, attack, access, accession … New Dictionary of Synonyms
paroxysm — [n] seizure, spasm agitation, anger, attack, convulsion, eruption, excitement, explosion, fit, flare up*, frenzy, frothing, fuming, furor, fury, hysterics, outbreak, outburst, passion, rage, violence; concepts 308,316,410 … New thesaurus
paroxysm — [par′ək siz΄əm] n. [Fr paroxysme < ML paroxysmus < Gr paroxysmos < paroxynein, to excite, sharpen < para , beyond (see PARA 1) + oxynein, to sharpen < oxys, sharp: see OXY 2] 1. a sudden attack, or intensification of the symptoms,… … English World dictionary
paroxysm — [[t]pæ̱rəksɪzəm[/t]] paroxysms 1) N COUNT: usu N of n A paroxysm of emotion is a sudden, very strong occurrence of it. Later the same day, he exploded in a paroxysm of rage which continued for half an hour. ...a paroxysm of grief. Syn: fit 2) N… … English dictionary
Paroxysm — In medicine, a paroxysm is a violent attack. It may be due to the sudden occurrence of symptoms or the acute exacerbation (the abrupt worsening) of preexisting symptoms. You may have a paroxysm of coughing as opposed, for example, to a lingering… … Medical dictionary
paroxysm — UK [ˈpærəkˌsɪz(ə)m] / US [ˈperəkˌsɪzəm] noun [countable] Word forms paroxysm : singular paroxysm plural paroxysms formal a sudden uncontrolled expression of emotion paroxysm of: paroxysms of laughter … English dictionary
paroxysm — noun Etymology: Middle English paroxism, from Medieval Latin paroxysmus, from Greek paroxysmos, from paroxynein to stimulate, from para + oxynein to provoke, from oxys sharp more at oxygen Date: 15th century 1. a fit, attack, or sudden increase… … New Collegiate Dictionary
