paraplegia

American  

[par-uh-plee-jee-uh, -juh] / ˌpær əˈpli dʒi ə, -dʒə /

noun

Pathology.

1. paralysis of both lower limbs due to spinal disease or injury.

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paraplegia British  

/ ˌpærəˈpliːdʒə /

noun

1. pathol paralysis of the lower half of the body, usually as the result of disease or injury of the spine Compare hemiplegia quadriplegia

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paraplegia Scientific  

/ păr′ə-plē′jē-ə /

1. Paralysis of the lower part of the body, caused by injury to the spinal cord.

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Other Word Forms

• paraplegic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of paraplegia

First recorded in 1580–90; from New Latin, from Ionic Greek (Hippocrates) paraplēgíē; “hemiplegia”; see para- ¹, -plegia

Compare meaning

How does paraplegia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• tetraplegia vs. paraplegia
• paraplegia vs. hemiplegia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paraplegia

These were caused by firstly a bed bound state and secondary hereditary spastic paraplegia.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

By analyzing 2,811 people with ataxia, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and dystonia, scientists identified harmful variants in a gene called CD99L2 as the cause of X-linked spastic ataxia.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

The plaintiff, Darwin Boggs, has paraplegia and uses a wheelchair when traveling in public, the suit said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

Annie Verchick, a woman with paraplegia and a traumatic brain injury living in rural Laporte, Colo., has worked with a revolving door of home aides.

From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2022

Among them—and I quote these from the full notes furnished by Dr. Behrend—were complete paraplegia, left hemiplegia, complete hysterical amaurosis, but from this she had recovered in 1868.

From Fat and Blood An Essay on the Treatment of Certain Forms of Neurasthenia and Hysteria by Mitchell, John K.