Paroxysm
[PAR-ək-siz-əm]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, early 15th century
1.
A sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.
2.
(Medicine) A sudden recurrence or attack of a disease; a sudden worsening of symptoms.
Examples of Paroxysm in a sentence
"The opera singer broke into a paroxysm of song."
"After the first paroxysms of grief passed, he was able to focus on important tasks."
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