spasm
pronunciation
How to pronounce spasm in British English:
UK [ˈspæzəm]
How to pronounce spasm in American English:
US [ ˈspæzəm]
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- Noun:
- a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
- (pathology) sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood vessel)
Word Origin
- spasm
- spasm: [14] A spasm is etymologically a sudden ‘stretching’ of a muscle (although in fact physiologically spasms are contractions of muscle tissue). The word comes via Old French spasme and Latin spasmus from Greek spasmós, a derivative of the verb span ‘pull’. This in turn was descended from the Indo-European base *spə- ‘stretch’. The metaphorical notion of ‘intermittence’ (based on the intervals between spasms) emerged in the derived adjective spasmodic [17] in the 19th century.=> stadium
- spasm (n.)
- late 14c., "sudden violent muscular contraction," from Old French spasme (13c.) and directly from Latin spasmus "a spasm," from Greek spasmos "a spasm, convulsion," from span "draw up, tear away, contract violently, pull, pluck," from PIE *spe- "stretch." Figurative sense of "a sudden convulsion" (of emotion, politics, etc.) is attested from 1817.
- spasm (v.)
- 1900, from spasm (n.). Related: Spasmed; spasming.
Synonym
Example
- 1. That led to a predictable " risk off " spasm in other world markets .
- 2. As soon as you feel your thigh in spasm , lie down .
- 3. Receptionist : that 's right . But the most dangerous thing is that their legs may spasm out of control when swimming .
- 4. A side stitch is a sharp , intense pain under the lower edge of the ribcage caused by a muscle spasm of the diaphragm .
- 5. No one knows exactly what triggers the diaphragm to spasm , although it 's probably due to stimulation of the nerves connected to the muscle or to a signal from the part of the brain that controls breathing .