paroxysm

Definitions


[ˈparəksɪz(ə)m], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a sudden attack or outburst of a particular emotion or activity
(e.g: a paroxysm of weeping)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English: from French paroxysme, via medieval Latin from Greek paroxusmos, from paroxunein ‘exasperate’, from para- ‘beyond’ + oxunein ‘sharpen’ (from oxus ‘sharp’)




definition by Oxford Dictionaries