spastic

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Learned borrowing from Latin spasticus, from Ancient Greek σπαστικός (spastikós, “drawing in”). By surface analysis, spasm +‎ -tic. Compare French spastique and see also spasm.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈspastɪk/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈspæstɪk/
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Rhymes: -æstɪk

Adjective[edit]

spastic (comparative more spastic, superlative most spastic)

  1. (pathology) Of, relating to, or affected by spasm.
  2. (pathology) Of or relating to spastic paralysis.
  3. (slang, derogatory, offensive in the UK) Clumsy and stupid.
  4. (slang, derogatory, offensive in the UK) Hyperactive, excited, and acting in a random manner.
    • 2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 182:
      The camera cuts from "Anton" and his fellow underwear-clad protestors to show a carnival ride in a parking lot, which the protestors have apparently mistaken for an oil rig. The protest then devolves into spastic dancing and ends with several arrests.

Usage notes[edit]

See the usage notes about the noun, below.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

spastic (plural spastics)

  1. (now offensive, especially in UK) A person affected by spastic paralysis or spastic cerebral palsy.
  2. (slang, derogatory, offensive especially in UK) A stupid, clumsy person.
    • 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 17:
      ‘Oi, Fleming, you spastic. Guess who I knobbed last night?’
    • 1997 December 1, Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, “To Kill a Mocking Alan”, in I'm Alan Partridge:
      Jed Maxwell: See you next week then. We'll have that pint.
      Alan Partridge: Yep.
      Jed Maxwell: ...go and see my brother.
      Alan Partridge: No way, you big spastic! You're a mentalist!

Usage notes[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

The offensiveness of spastic and spaz differs considerably between the US and the UK. In the United States, the terms are usually inoffensive outside of the disability community; in the UK, they are broadly offensive and typically taken as denigrating references to those with cerebral palsy. Consequently, University of Sussex linguist Lynne Murphy has described spastic as "one of the most taboo insults to a British ear",[1] and in a 2003 survey by the BBC it was voted the second-most offensive word relating to disability (after retard).[2][3]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Murphy, M Lynne (2007 February 28) “spastic, learning disability”, in Separated by a Common Language, retrieved 2007-08-17
  2. ^ “BBC worst word vote”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[1], 2007 March 20 (last accessed), archived from the original on 20 March 2007
  3. ^ The s-word, by Damon Rose, BBC News, 12 April 2006

Anagrams[edit]

Interlingua[edit]

Adjective[edit]

spastic (not comparable)

  1. spastic

Related terms[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French spastique.

Adjective[edit]

spastic m or n (feminine singular spastică, masculine plural spastici, feminine and neuter plural spastice)

  1. spastic

Declension[edit]

Declension of spastic
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite spastic spastică spastici spastice
definite spasticul spastica spasticii spasticele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite spastic spastice spastici spastice
definite spasticului spasticei spasticilor spasticelor
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