spastic

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English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin spasticus, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek σπαστικός (spastikós, “drawing in”). Confer French spastique and see also spasm.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈspastɪk/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈspæstɪk/
  • Audio (AU):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æstɪk

Adjective

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.
  4. (slang, derogatory, offensive in the UK) Hyperactive, excited, and acting in a random manner.

Usage notes

See the usage notes about the noun, below.

Translations

Noun

spastic (plural spastics)

  1. (now offensive, especially in UK) A person affected by spastic paralysis or spastic cerebral palsy.
  2. (slang, offensive especially in UK) A stupid, clumsy person.
    • I'm Alan Partridge (TV series), To Kill a Mocking Alan
      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

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 inoffensive; in the UK, they are typically taken as denigrating references to those with cerebral palsy, and 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

Translations

References

  1. ^ Murphy, M Lynne (2007 February 28) “spastic, learning disability”, in Separated by a Common Language‎[1], retrieved 2007-08-17
  2. ^ “BBC worst word vote”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[2], 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

Interlingua

Adjective

spastic (not comparable)

  1. spastic
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