palsy

noun pal·sy \ ˈpȯl-zē \

Definition of palsy

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

See palsy defined for English-language learners

See palsy defined for kids

Examples of palsy in a Sentence

palsy can sometimes be caused by a brain injury

Recent Examples of palsy from the Web

The Center provides intense motor therapy to children with cerebral palsy.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Children's Lemonade Stand raises $6,045 for church," 19 July 2017
Nett, an activist who has cerebral palsy, spoke through a friend to voice his concerns about the bill's deep cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health plan for low-income people that helps pay for services for disabled people.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Rep. Yarmuth's message at Sunday health care forum: Keep speaking out," 9 July 2017
However, over time a slight palsy in my fingers has made doing a double-click somewhat problematic.

— don edrington computer tutor, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Changing mouse setting to single click," 7 July 2017
Nett, 38, who has cerebral palsy, benefits from a Medicaid waiver, and the proposed health care plan would reduce it, drastically affecting his care, his caretaker Sarah Mack said.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Citations issued during protest at Sen. Mitch McConnell's downtown Louisville office," 6 July 2017
Everyone who attends is linked to people with special needs, including Family Café founder Lori Fahey, whose son has cerebral palsy.

— olga yakovleva special to the miami herald, miamiherald, "A conference for people with disabilities focuses on their abilities," 30 June 2017
O’Connor, strong and good-humored, is partially disabled by cerebral palsy.

— mike sager, Smithsonian, "Will the Public Ever Get to See the “Dueling Dinosaurs”?," 28 June 2017
The cause was progressive supranuclear palsy, said his son David Gossett.

— emily langer, Washington Post, "Philip Gossett, musical sleuth who revived forgotten operas, dies at 75," 16 June 2017
McGill, who lives with cerebral palsy, is a strong believer in education through advocacy and is known to not let her physical disability limit her ability to make a difference.

— christina mayo, miamiherald, "Author-illustrator Walter Wick to present show at Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'palsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of palsy

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

palsy Synonyms

Synonyms

paralysis

Near Antonyms

mobility, motility, sensation

palsy

verb

Definition of palsy

palsied; palsying

transitive verb

:to affect with or as if with palsy

Recent Examples of palsy from the Web

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, "Angelina Jolie Was Diagnosed With Bell’s Palsy — Here’s What You Need to Know About It," 26 July 2017

First Known Use of palsy

1615

palsy

adjective \ ˈpal-zē \

Definition of palsy

:palsy-walsy

See palsy defined for English-language learners

Examples of palsy in a Sentence

the salesman changed his palsy attitude when he realized that I wasn't buying

Recent Examples of palsy from the Web

Bell’s palsy indicates facial weakness, usually only on one side of the face due to damage or dysfunction of the facial nerve, one of the cranial nerves of the body.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "Bell's Palsy a common condition, usually treatable," 23 Aug. 2017
The center will include specific programs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and feeding disorders.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Ochsner to open a new center for children with disabilities in 2018," 9 Aug. 2017
A 47-year-old former Middletown woman, serving a 10-year state prison sentence in the death of a 14-year-old cerebral palsy patient in her care, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for filing fake Medicaid claims in the case.

— chris graves, Cincinnati.com, "Middletown caregiver sentenced for defrauding Medicaid in disabled Dayton teen's death," 27 July 2017
Wasserman, 60, died of progressive supranuclear palsy June 26 at her home in Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town area, her sister said.

— bob goldsborough, chicagotribune.com, "Suzanne Wasserman, historian and documentary filmmaker, dies," 21 July 2017
Both asked for custody of their 5-year-old son, who court documents say has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

— beatriz valenzuela, The Mercury News, "California grandmother pleads not guilty in stabbing; court papers detail family struggles," 9 June 2017
But another remarkable participant was Jamie Watts, who has cerebral palsy and uses a cane.

— diane bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "An unexpected gift forges a lasting friendship," 5 June 2017
David Kevin Altaire, 60, is deaf and his cerebral palsy forces him to walk with forearm crutches.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "Pines man missing since Friday returned home Sunday morning," 14 May 2017
Those who survive might suffer developmental delays, cerebral palsy or other complications.

— lynne terry | the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Age of rising triplet rates is over in Oregon, nationwide," 13 May 2017

First Known Use of palsy

1951

palsy Synonyms

Synonyms

amicable, bonhomous, buddy-buddy, chummy, collegial, companionable, comradely, cordial, genial, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hearty, matey [chiefly British], neighborly, friendly, palsy-walsy [slang], warm, warmhearted

Antonyms

antagonistic, hostile, unfriendly

Related Words

affable, agreeable, approachable, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, nice, sweet; clubby, convivial, folksy, gregarious, hospitable, sociable, social; jolly, jovial, merry; extroverted (also extraverted), outgoing; brotherly, fraternal, sisterly; close, familiar, intimate; adoring, affectionate, devoted, fond, lovesome, loving, tender, tenderhearted

Near Antonyms

alienated, estranged; chilly, cold, cold-blooded, cool, frigid, frosty, glacial, icy, wintry (also wintery); unsociable, unsocial; aggressive, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent; inhospitable, inimical

PALSY Defined for Kids

palsy

noun pal·sy \ ˈpȯl-zē \

Definition of palsy for Students

1 :paralysis

2 :an uncontrollable trembling of the body or a part of the body

Medical Dictionary

palsy

noun pal·sy \ ˈpȯl-zē \

medical Definition of palsy

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

Learn More about palsy

See words that rhyme with palsy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for palsy Spanish Central: Translation of palsy Nglish: Translation of palsy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of palsy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about palsy

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