palsy

1
[ pawl-zee ]
See synonyms for palsy on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural pal·sies.
  1. any of a variety of atonal muscular conditions characterized by tremors of the body parts, as the hands, arms, or legs, or of the entire body.

verb (used with object),pal·sied, pal·sy·ing.
  1. to paralyze.

Origin of palsy

1
1250–1300; Middle English, variant of parlesie<Middle French paralisie<Latin paralysisparalysis

Other words from palsy

  • pal·sy·like, adjective

Other definitions for palsy (2 of 2)

palsy2
[ pal-zee ]

adjectiveSlang.

Origin of palsy

2
First recorded in 1925–30; pal + -sy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for palsy

palsy

/ (ˈpɔːlzɪ) pathol /


nounplural -sies
  1. paralysis, esp of a specified type: cerebral palsy

verb-sies, -sying or -sied (tr)
  1. to paralyse

Origin of palsy

1
C13 palesi, from Old French paralisie, from Latin paralysis

Derived forms of palsy

  • palsied, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012