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spasm

[ spaz-uhm ]
/ ˈspéz əm /
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noun
Pathology. a sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction, consisting of a continued muscular contraction (tonic spasm ) or of a series of alternating muscular contractions and relaxations (clonic spasm ).
any sudden, brief spell of great energy, activity, feeling, etc.
verb (used without object)
to undergo a spasm or spasms: Her eyesight had changed, and tests showed the muscles that allow the eye to focus were spasming.
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Origin of spasm

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spasme, spasom, from Old French (e)spasme and Latin spasmus, from Greek spasmós “convulsion,” derivative of spñn “to draw (a sword), pull out, tear out, suck in, slurp down”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spasm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spasm

spasm
/ (ˈspézəm) /

noun
an involuntary muscular contraction, esp one resulting in cramp or convulsion
a sudden burst of activity, emotion, etc

Word Origin for spasm

C14: from Latin spasmus, from Greek spasmos a cramp, from span to tear
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
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