You searched for: “spasms
spasm (s), spasms (pl)
1. A sudden, violent, involuntary contraction of a muscle or a group of muscles, attended by pain and interference with function, producing involuntary movement and distortion.
2. A sudden but transitory constriction of a bodily passage, canal, or orifice.
  • A muscle spasm can be quite painful, with the muscle clenching tightly. A spasm of the coronary artery can cause angina.
  • Spasms in various types of tissue may be caused by stress, medication, over-exercise, or other factors.
3. A brief, automatic jerking movement.
4. Sudden burst of activity: a sudden brief emotion, sensation, or action.
This entry is located in the following unit: spasmo-, spasm-, spas- + (page 3)
(Greek: tension, especially a convulsive tension; muscle spasm or tetanus, an infectious disease characterized by muscle spasms)
Word Entries containing the term: “spasms
cadaveric spasm (s) (noun), cadaveric spasms (pl)
A muscle spasm, or muscular contraction, that causes a recently dead body to twitch or jerk: "The new police recruit was startled by the cadaveric spasm he observed during the routine police investigation at the death scene."
This entry is located in the following unit: cad-, cas-, cid- (page 1)
convulsive tic, hemifacial spasm (s) (nouns); convulsive tics, hemifacial spasms (pl)
A disorder of the facial nerve, causing involuntary spasmodic contractions of the facial muscles supplied by that nerve.
This entry is located in the following unit: vuls-, vell- (page 2)
saltatory spasm (s) (noun), saltatory spasms (pl)
A sudden, violent, involuntary contraction or a jerky affection of the muscles of the lower extremities; such as the legs: Saltatory spasms cause patients' leg muscles to twitch or to jerk and are also known as tics.
This entry is located in the following units: sali-, salt-, -sili-, sult-, -salta- (page 4) spasmo-, spasm-, spas- + (page 3)