paralyse

/ ˈpærəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. pathol to affect with paralysis

2. med to render (a part of the body) insensitive to pain, touch, etc, esp by injection of an anaesthetic

3. to make immobile; transfix

Other Word Forms

• paralysation noun
• paralyser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of paralyse¹

C19: from French paralyser, from paralysie _paralysis

Example Sentences

A survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing who was left paralysed from the waist down has met Coronation Street stars as the show features a character who has just suffered a spinal injury.

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"Permission for jamming and spoofing, permission to shoot lasers at an airport -- everything that you don't really want at airports because it would paralyse operations -- we have here," Suelberg said.

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Back in Japan, a cyber-attack paralysed operations at a container terminal in the city of Nagoya for three days in 2024.

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In Cameroon's English-speaking North-West and South-West regions, where a long-running separatist conflict continues, an election boycott lockdown has been imposed, paralysing business activities, movement and education.

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Some of the garages forced to shut last week, paralysing the city, have now reopened after more 300 petrol tankers arrived under army escort from Ivory Coast on Tuesday.

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