tetraplegia

American

[te-truh-plee-jee-uh, -juh] / ˌtɛ trəˈpli dʒi ə, -dʒə /

noun

Pathology.

quadriplegia.

tetraplegia British

/ ˌtɛtrəˈpliːdʒɪə /

noun

another name for quadriplegia

"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

Other Word Forms

tetraplegic adjective

Etymology

Origin of tetraplegia

First recorded in 1910–15; tetra- + -plegia

Compare meaning

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

tetraplegia vs. paraplegia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When he was first injured he could only communicate by blinking and clicking, and his injury is the worst level of tetraplegia – paralysed from the neck down and on a ventilator.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025

Medical professionals call it a tetraplegia spinal injury, resulting in an inability to move the upper and lower parts of the body.

From Washington Times • Nov. 20, 2023

An injury that high can often affect all four limbs, called tetraplegia.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023