Meanings
plural hemiplegias · alternative dated hemiplegy
- uncountableusuallyTotal or partial inability to move one side of the body.
I call the series Dubliners to betray the soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which many consider a city.
1904, James Joyce, letter to C. P. Curran, August 19041 more example
As you doubtlessly also can read from the paper you pilfered from my bag, hemiplegia, a medical term known to the layman as paralysis resulting from a blood clot in the brain.
1932, Jules Furthman, Shanghai Express, spoken by Harvey (Clive Brook)
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἡμιπλήξ
- New Latinhemiplegia
- Englishhemiplegia
From New Latin hemiplegia, from Ancient Greek ἡμιπλήξ (hēmiplḗx), also ἡμιπληγής (hēmiplēgḗs, “stricken on one side”), from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “half”) + πλήσσω (plḗssō, “to strike”). By surface analysis, hemi- + -plegia.
More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan hemiplegia
- hemiplegiatotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Czech hemiplegie
- hemiplegietotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Dutch hemiplegie
- hemiplegietotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Finnish toispuolihalvaus
- toispuolihalvaustotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
German halbseitige Lähmung
- halbseitige Lähmungtotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Greek ημιπληγία
- ημιπληγία (imipligía)total or partial inability to move one side of the body
Hindi अर्धांघात, अर्धांग
- अर्धांघात (ardhāṅghāt)total or partial inability to move one side of the body
- अर्धांग (ardhāṅg)total or partial inability to move one side of the body
Icelandic helftarlömun, lömun öðrum megin í líkamanum
- helftarlömuntotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
- lömun öðrum megin í líkamanumtotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Indonesian hemiplegia
- hemiplegiatotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Italian emiplegia
- emiplegiatotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Portuguese hemiplegia
- hemiplegiatotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Spanish hemiplejia
- hemiplejiatotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Swedish halvsidesförlamning
- halvsidesförlamningtotal or partial inability to move one side of the body
Cite this entry
hemiplegia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiplegia
“hemiplegia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiplegia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hemiplegia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiplegia.
Source: hemiplegia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.