Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
parricide
parrot
parrot-fashion
parrot fever
parrotbill
parrotfish
parrotlike
parry
Parry, Cape
parse
parsec
Parsee
parser
Parsi
parsimonious
parsimony
parsley
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

paroxysm

par·ox·ysm [ párrək sìzzəm ] (plural par·ox·ysms [ pə ròtti dtiss ])


noun 
Definition:
 
1. sudden outburst of emotion: a sudden and uncontrollable expression of emotion
paroxysms of grief

2. outburst of symptom: a sudden onset or intensification of a pathological symptom or symptoms, especially when recurrent

[Late 16th century. < medieval Latin< Greek paroxunein "irritate," literally "sharpen beyond" < oxus "sharp"]

par·ox·ys·mal [ pàrrək sízm'l ] adjective
par·ox·ys·mal·ly adverb
par·ox·ys·mic [ pàrrək sízmik ] adjective
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft