palsy

1 of 3

noun

pal·​sy ˈpȯl-zē How to pronounce palsy (audio)
plural palsies
1
: paralysis
used chiefly in combination
oculomotor palsy
see bell's palsy, cerebral palsy
2
: a condition that is marked by uncontrollable tremor and quivering of the body or one or more of its parts
not used technically
… an involuntary shake that was to prove the prelude to age's palsy.Angus Wilson

palsy

2 of 3

verb

palsied; palsying

transitive verb

: to affect with or as if with palsy

palsy

3 of 3

adjective

Examples of palsy in a Sentence

Noun palsy can sometimes be caused by a brain injury Adjective the salesman changed his palsy attitude when he realized that I wasn't buying
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
By the time of that induction, Ronstadt had retired, unable to sing due to progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease originally misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2024 The actor died at his home in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, Monday from a brain disease called progressive supranuclear palsy, as The Hollywood Reporter and a Patch Media outlet reported. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 The artist, who won 11 Grammys during her career, retired from singing after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2024 Symptoms can include a rash and flu-like symptoms, with some people going on to experience arthritis, facial palsy, pain, irregular heartbeats and other worsening symptoms. Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023 With time, the headaches, rashes, and neck stiffness can worsen, and infected people can develop painful arthritis, facial palsy, heart palpitations, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, the agency said on its website. Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2023 My symptoms — which came suddenly, and have included trouble swallowing solid food, a paralyzed left vocal cord, Bell’s palsy, and partial hearing loss — have left me physically exhausted and emotionally rattled. Carmen Cusido, refinery29.com, 17 June 2022 Court records indicate that the CFSA got involved with the baby after she was born with traces of cocaine in her urine and brachial plexus palsy, which caused muscle paralysis in her right arm. Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 27 May 2023 If left untreated, the symptoms can be more severe including heart palpitations, arthritis, and facial palsy. Devika Rao, The Week, 25 Apr. 2023
Verb
Things Became Difficult’ A doctor can usually diagnose Bell’s palsy just by looking at a person, but may decide to do a blood test, MRI, or CT scan to rule out other causes of facial paralysis, like diabetes or tumors. Sarah Klein, PEOPLE.com, 26 July 2017
Adjective
Through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Conway the Machine at 9:30 Club Like 50 Cent before him, Conway the Machine has an origin story worthy of a gangsta rap superhero: a 2012 shooting that left him with Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis, a slur and a new sense of purpose. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 Like 50 Cent before him, Conway the Machine has an origin story worthy of a gangsta rap superhero: a 2012 shooting that left him with Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis, a slur and a new sense of purpose. Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 But those who develop symptoms such as facial palsy, swollen joints, or arthritis as a result of longer term infections may produce enough immunity to protect to some extent against additional infections. Alice Park, Time, 15 Aug. 2023 Robert De Niro’s partner Tiffany Chen has revealed that she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy after giving birth in April. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2023 The team achieved an early victory in genomic medicine with the 14-year-old Beery twins, who suffered from a palsy-like movement disorder. Guest Blogger, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2013 Shingles could also cause this sort of palsy, but the patient didn’t have other symptoms of the illness so that seemed unlikely. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022 Now for the heartbreaker — Neil says the song’s unintelligible vocals are meant to represent his son with cerebral-palsy’s inability to communicate. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 Whalen, 82, died of progressive supranuclear palsy June 20 in his home in the Kenwood neighborhood, said his daughter, Ann. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'palsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English palesie, alteration of parlesey, from Anglo-French paralisie, from Latin paralysis

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1615, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of palsy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near palsy

Cite this Entry

“Palsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palsy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

palsy

noun
pal·​sy
ˈpȯl-zē
1
2
: a condition marked by uncontrollable trembling or shaking of the body or a part (as the head or hands)

Medical Definition

palsy

noun
pal·​sy ˈpȯl-zē How to pronounce palsy (audio)
plural palsies
1
: paralysis
used chiefly in combination
oculomotor palsy
see bell's palsy, cerebral palsy
2
: a condition that is characterized by uncontrollable tremor or quivering of the body or one or more of its parts
not used technically

More from Merriam-Webster on palsy

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