spasm

English

Etymology

From Middle English spasme, from Old French spasme, from Latin spasmus, from Ancient Greek σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm, convulsion”). Compare span.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈspæ.z(ə)m/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

spasm (plural spasms)

1. A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ.
2. A violent, excruciating seizure of pain.
3. A sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion.

Related terms

• spastic

Translations

contraction of a muscle

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

  Bokmål: krampe (no) m, spasme m

  Nynorsk: krampe m, spasme m

• Polish: spazm (pl) m
• Portuguese: espasmo (pt) m
• 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

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

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

• Finnish: puuska (fi), kohtaus (fi)
• German: Anfall (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: κρίση (el) f (krísi), παροξυσμός (el) m (paroxysmós)
• 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.

Translations

to produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles

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

Anagrams

• samps, spams