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

Scientists at Ruhr University Bochum found that the protein produced by CD99L2 works as an activating partner for CAPN1, a calcium-dependent protease already known to be involved in hereditary spastic paraplegia and ataxia.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

The chatbot came back with a list of possible conditions, including hereditary spastic paraplegia.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 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

The coroner’s report cited complications from paraplegia, but Swope blamed his isolated life in the trailer.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2022

On the other hand, Remak said that myelitis, with neuritis, might be the origin of paraplegia and simultaneous palsy of bladder and rectum.

From Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it by Francis E. Anstie