Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,914,155,897 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Paroxysm

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
paroxysm
Pathol
a. a sudden attack or recurrence of a disease
b. any fit or convulsion
paroxysm [′par·ək‚siz·əm]
(medicine)
A sudden attack, or the periodic crisis in the progress of a disease.
A spasm, convulsion, or seizure.
A burst of electrical activity during electroencephalography in the form of spikes, or spikes and waves, which indicates cerebral dysrhythmia or epileptic discharges.
(psychology)
A sudden, uncontrollable emotional outburst.
Paroxysm 

a sudden exacerbation of a disease. Examples of symptoms that can accompany paroxysms are attacks of pain in angina pectoris, palpitation in paroxysmal tachycardia, coughing in whooping cough, fever in malaria, and hemolysis in paroxysmal hemoglobinuria. The term “paroxysm” is also used to refer to a sudden outburst of emotion, as in “paroxysm of anger” and “paroxysm of despair.”
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link 		Feedback
Mentioned in?  References in classic literature?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
In Smolensk, at the Malakhov Gate, he had hardly dozed off in a paroxysm of fever before he was awakened by the bombardment of the town- and Smolensk held out all day long.
War and Peace by Tolstoy, Leo View in context
And as they obeyed, Michael strained backward in a paroxysm of rage, making fierce short jumps to the end of the tether as he snarled and growled with utmost fierceness at the steward.
Michael, Brother of Jerry by London, Jack View in context
And as to those mortal feuds which, in certain conjunctures, spread a conflagration through a whole nation, or through a very large proportion of it, proceeding either from weighty causes of discontent given by the government or from the contagion of some violent popular paroxysm, they do not fall within any ordinary rules of calculation.
Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton by Hamilton, Alexander View in context
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.