spasm

English

Etymology

From Middle English spasme, from Old French spasme, from Latin spasmus, from Ancient Greek σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm, convulsion”), from σπάω (spáō, “to draw out, pull out”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspæz.əm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æzəm

Noun

spasm (plural spasms)

1. A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ.

   Jessica went into spasms after eating a peanut.

2. A violent, excruciating seizure of pain.
3. A sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion.
   • 1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage

     He would use the simplest, plainest language, he said to himself over and over again; but it is not always easy to use simple, plain language,—by no means so easy as to mount on stilts, and to march along with sesquipedalian words, with pathos, spasms, and notes of interjection.

Related terms

• spastic

Translations

contraction of a muscle

• Arabic: تَشَنُّج m (tašannuj)
• Bulgarian: крамп m (kramp), гърч (bg) m (gǎrč)
• Catalan: espasme m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 痙攣／痉挛 (zh) (jìngluán), 痉挛 (zh) (jìngluán)

• Czech: křeč (cs) f
• Danish: krampe (da)
• Dutch: kramp (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: spasmo
• Finnish: spasmi (fi), kouristus (fi)
• French: spasme (fr) m
• German: Krampf (de) m, Muskelkrampf m, Spasmus m
• Greek: σπασμός (el) m (spasmós), σύσπαση (el) f (sýspasi)

  Ancient: σπασμός m (spasmós)

• Hebrew: עֲוִית (he) f ('avít)
• Hungarian: görcs (hu)
• Italian: spasmo (it) m
• Japanese: 痙攣 (ja) (けいれん, keiren)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 경련(痙攣) (ko) (gyeongnyeon)
• Latvian: krampji
• Maori: timu, tumu, hōkai (of the limbs)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: krampe (no) m, spasme m

  Nynorsk: krampe m, spasme m

• Plautdietsch: Kraump f
• Polish: spazm (pl) m, kurcz (pl)
• Portuguese: espasmo (pt) m
• Romanian: spasm (ro) n
• Russian: спазм (ru) m (spazm)
• Slovak: kŕč
• Slovene: krč (sl) m
• Spanish: espasmo (es) m
• Swedish: kramp (sv)
• Turkish: spazm (tr)
• Vietnamese: co thắt

a violent, excruciating seizure of pain

• Bulgarian: спазма (bg) f (spazma)
• Dutch: stuip (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: spasmo
• Finnish: kipukohtaus
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: σπασμός (el) m (spasmós), κρίση (el) f (krísi)
• Plautdietsch: Stäakj f
• Turkish: kramp (tr)

a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion

• Bulgarian: изблик (bg) m (izblik)
• Finnish: puuska (fi), kohtaus (fi)
• German: Anfall (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: κρίση (el) f (krísi), παροξυσμός (el) m (paroxysmós)
• Irish: taom m
• Spanish: acceso (es) m

Verb

spasm (third-person singular simple present spasms, present participle spasming, simple past and past participle spasmed)

1. To produce and undergo a spasm or series of spasms.

Translations

to produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles

• German: verkrampfen (de), krampfen (de)
• Maori: hoto, io (mi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• samps, spams

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Romanian

Etymology

From French spasme.

Noun

spasm n (plural spasme)

1. spasm

Declension

Declension of spasm

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) spasm	spasmul	(niște) spasme	spasmele
genitive/dative	(unui) spasm	spasmului	(unor) spasme	spasmelor
vocative	spasmule		spasmelor

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Swedish

Etymology

From Old French spasme, from Latin spasmus, from Ancient Greek σπασμός (spasmós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspasm/, [ˈspasːm]

Noun

spasm c

1. spasm

Declension

Declension of spasm

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	spasm	spasms
	definite	spasmen	spasmens
plural	indefinite	spasmer	spasmers
	definite	spasmerna	spasmernas

References

• spasm in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)