Other forms: palsies
Palsy is a trembling or paralysis of part of the body. Cerebral palsy, Bell's palsy, palsy of the hand.
The word survives mainly in fixed medical names: cerebral palsy is a group of conditions affecting movement caused by damage to the developing brain, and Bell's palsy is a sudden weakness of one side of the face that usually recovers. On its own the word is archaic. Note that palsy and paralysis are the same Greek word, one worn down through French.
1nounpalsyA trembling or paralysis of part of the body.
“About one birth in four hundred involves cerebral palsy.”
palsy is a loss of movement.
Anglo-Norman paralisie comes from Latin paralysis, from Greek paralysis, a loosening at the side. Palsy and paralysis are the same word arriving twice.
Ancient Greek
παράλυσις — palsy
Latin
paralysis
Anglo-Norman
paralisie
Middle English
palesie
English, today
palsy
Built from
From Middle English palesie, from Anglo-Norman paralisie, parleisie et al., from Latin paralysis, from Ancient Greek παράλυσις (“palsy”), from παραλύω (“to disable on one side”), from παρα- (“beside”) + λύω (“loosen”). a doublet of paralysis.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA