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paroxysm

noun
/ˈpæɹəksɪz(ə)m/UK/ˈpɛɹəkˌsɪzəm/US

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 nouns). By surface analysis, para- + oxy- + -ism.

  1. derived from *h₂eḱ-✻ — “sharp”
  2. derived from πᾰροξῠσμός — “exasperation, irritation; severe fit of a disease”
  3. derived from paroxismus
  4. derived from peroxime — “period of worsening of a disease; bout of fever or illness”
  5. derived from paroxisme
  6. inherited from paroxism

Definitions

  1. A period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness…

    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.

    • Againe; I feare a paroxiſme.
    • His malady proved to be a softening of the spinal marrow: it was incurable; it made rapid progress. […] [A]ll this, and suffering, besides this, at short intervals, paroxysms of nervous agony.

  2. Chiefly followed by of

    Chiefly followed by of: a sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling; also, the most severe part of an activity or incident; the climax.

    • [I]n his Paroxyſms, as he vvalked the Streets, he vvould have his Pockets loaden vvith Stones, to pelt at the Signs.
    • If prevented by force, the screams she sometimes uttered in her paroxysms of rage were fearful, and must inevitably be heard.

  3. An outburst of a violent argument or disagreement.

    • But the greateſt contention happening here, vvas that Paroxyſme betvvixt Paul and Barnabas, the one as earneſtly refuſing, as the other deſiring the company of John Mark to goe along vvith them.
    • By the vvay, it muſt not be forgotten, that in the very midſt of the Paroxiſme betvvixt [Richard] Hooker and [Walter] Travers, the latter ſtil bare (and none can challenge the other to the contrary) a reverend eſteem of his adverſary.
    • [A]n election was at hand, which, it was expected, would throw the whole country into a paroxysm.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. A violent occurrence of a natural phenomenon, such as an earthquake, thunderstorm, or…

      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.

      • [T]he Storm had ſeven Paroxyſms or Exacerbations, vvhich the Seamen call Frights of VVeather, […]
      • [W]ith paroxiſms of ſtrange diſmay / Th' amazed Heav'ns ſtood ſtill, Earth's baſis ſhook, / The troubled Ocean roard, the ſtartled Air / In hollovv grones profoundly breath'd its fear.

    2. Disastrous or sudden change.

      • 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.
      • Catastrophists argued that most geological change occurred in rare episodes of truly global paroxysm, marked by the "usual suspects" of volcanism, mountain building, earthquakes, and flooding.

The neighborhood

Derived

hyperparoxysm, interparoxysmal, paroxysmal, paroxysmally, paroxysmic, paroxysmist, postparoxysmal, preparoxysmal

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at paroxysm. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01paroxysm02seizure03epileptic04epilepsy05convulsions06convulsion07paroxysmal08paroxysms

A definitional loop anchored at paroxysm. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at paroxysm

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA