palsy

      English

      Etymology 1

      From Anglo-Norman paralisie, parleisie et al., from the accusative form of Latin paralysis, from Ancient Greek παράλυσις (paralusis, palsy), from παραλύειν (paraluein, to disable on one side), from παρά (para, beside) + λύειν (luein, loosen).

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      palsy (plural palsies)

      1. (pathology) Complete or partial muscle paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by a loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking.
      Synonyms
      Translations
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      Verb

      palsy (third-person singular simple present palsies, present participle palsying, simple past and past participle palsied)

      1. To paralyse, either completely or partially.
        • 1831, William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator, To The Public [1]
          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.

      Etymology 2

      From pals +‎ -y.

      Pronunciation

      Adjective

      palsy (comparative more palsy, superlative most palsy)

      1. (colloquial) Chummy, friendly.

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      Last modified on 17 June 2013, at 01:36