paroxysm means A period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; a sudden attack of a disease symptom, such as a bout of coughing or a seizure.
paroxysm is pronounced /ˈpæɹəksɪz(ə)m/.
Why “paroxysm” is a great word
A sudden, violent outburst of a symptom, emotion, or activity. From Late Latin paroxismus, from Ancient Greek παροξυσμός (paroxusmós, “irritation, fit”), from παροξύνω (paroxýnō, “to irritate, provoke”), from παρα- (para-, “beside”) + ὀξύνω (oxýnō, “to sharpen, provoke”) from ὀξύς (oxýs, “sharp”). Unlike a spasm, which is a mere involuntary clenching, or a fit, a more general seizure, a paroxysm is the sharpened climax, the violent crest of the wave. It is the racking cough that shakes the frame, the helpless laughter that doubles you over, or the white-hot fury that leaves you spent—a brief, piercing reminder of the body and soul’s capacity for sudden, unsustainable extremes, where feeling is no longer contained but flung outward, like breath turned visible in cold air.
Etymology
From Late Middle English paroxism, paroxisme (“period of worsening of a disease, attack; sudden recurrent fever”), from Middle French paroxisme, paroxysme, and Old French peroxime (“period of worsening of a disease; bout of fever or illness”) (modern French paroxysme), and from their etymon Late Latin paroxismus, paroxysmus (“a fit; onset of a disease; violent impulse or sadness”), from Ancient Greek πᾰροξῠσμός (păroxŭsmós, “exasperation, irritation; severe fit of a disease”), from πᾰροξῡ́νω (păroxū́nō, “to irritate, provoke”) (from παρα- (para-, prefix meaning ‘parallel to but separate from or going beyond, beside’) + ὀξῡ́νω (oxū́nō, “to provoke; to sharpen”) (from ὀξῠ́ς (oxŭ́s, “sharp”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”))) + -μός (-mós, suffix forming abstract
noun
- A period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; a sudden attack of a disease symptom, such as a bout of coughing or a seizure.
- Chiefly followed by of: a sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling; also, the most severe part of an activity or incident; the climax.
- An outburst of a violent argument or disagreement.
- A violent occurrence of a natural phenomenon, such as an earthquake, thunderstorm, or volcanic eruption; specifically (volcanology), the most explosive event during a series of volcanic eruptions.
- Disastrous or sudden change.e.g.“It is manifest that the species themselves are but transmutations of one or a few primordial types, and that they have been created not by paroxysm, but by evolution.”
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