Where does “spasm” come from?
Spasm comes from Middle English spasme, from Old French spasme, from Latin spasmus, from Ancient Greek σπασμός, ultimately from Ancient Greek σπάω meaning to pull or tear.
spasm (English): A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a...
Definitions
- A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a...
Ancestry of “spasm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spasme | — |
| 2 | Old French | spasme | Alternative form of espasme |
| 3 | Latin | spasmus | spasm |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σπασμός | spasm, convulsion |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σπάω | to break; to draw, pull; to draw out, pull out |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)peh₂- | to stretch, to pull; to draw; chip, shaving, log,... |
Words derived from “spasm”