spastic
/ˈspastɪk
/adjective
1Relating to or affected by muscle spasm.
1.1Relating to or denoting a form of muscular weakness (spastic paralysis) typical of cerebral palsy, caused by damage to the brain or spinal cord and involving reflex resistance to passive movement of the limbs and difficulty in initiating and controlling muscular movement.Here the symptoms were epileptic seizures, spastic movements, dance-like twitching, and formication....
- Typically, clients experiencing spastic paralysis are only able to use the involved limb in a limited manner because they lack the motor control needed for most activities.
- He has cerebral palsy affecting his whole body with spastic, continuous purposeless movements.
1.2(Of a person) having cerebral palsy.
2 informal, offensive Incompetent or uncoordinated.
noun
1A person with cerebral palsy.The concept of independent living among persons with disability including spastics and the mentally challenged is picking up all over the globe.
2 informal, offensive An incompetent or uncoordinated person.
Usage
The word spastic has been used in medical senses since the 18th century. In the 1970s and 1980s it became a term of abuse, used mainly by schoolchildren, directed towards any person regarded as incompetent or physically uncoordinated. Nowadays, the use of the word spastic, whether as a noun or as an adjective, is likely to cause offence, and it is preferable to use phrasing such as a person with cerebral palsy instead.
Derivatives
spastically
- Overactive bladder is a condition in which the muscle surrounding the bladder contracts spastically causing frequent urination or incontinence.
- Social Dancing is so spastically uneven and nerve-wracking; so full of jittery caffeine beats and saccharin melodies that I find it impossible not to love every infantile moment about it.
- I saw Kayla and Andrew dancing spastically in the middle of the room.
spasticity
- Although we based the study around spasticity, we also wanted to capture any treatment effects among the other important symptoms described by people with MS.
- A new type of drug treatment is showing promise in children with moderate to severe spasticity.
- Her daughter suffers from bi-lateral spasticity, a form of cerebral palsy which Miller believes was induced by toxins accumulating in her breast milk.
Origin
Mid 18th century: via Latin from Greek spastikos 'pulling', from span 'pull'.
Rhymes
- motorcycle mama
- motorcycle messenger
- motorcycle mom
- motorcycle momma
- motorcycle officer
- motorcycle policeman
- motorcycling
- motorcyclist
- motordom
- motor drive
- motor-driven
- motordrome
- motor gasoline
- motor generator
- motor glider
- motorhead
- motorhome
- motor hotel
- motor house
- motorial
- motoric
- motorically
- motorik
- motoring organization
- motor inn