Meanings
plural spasms
- A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ.
Jessica went into spasms after eating a peanut.
- A violent, excruciating seizure of pain.
- A sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion.
Both Spear & Davis were indicted in the witchhunt surrounding the sensational (if nonexistent) "Revere sex ring." Both men have said they have been police targets since at least 1975, following the anti-gay spasm which ensued after Dick Bavely's suicide.
1981 April 11, Mitzel, “Kopacz Acquitted In Barbre Killing”, in Gay Community News, page 11 more example
He would use the simplest, plainest language, he said to himself over and over again; but it is not always easy to use simple, plain language,—by no means so easy as to mount on stilts, and to march along with sesquipedalian words, with pathos, spasms, and notes of interjection.
1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekσπασμός“spasm, convulsion”
- Latinspasmus
- Old Frenchspasme
- Middle Englishspasme
- Englishspasm
From Middle English spasme, from Old French spasme, from Latin spasmus, from Ancient Greek σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm, convulsion”), from σπάω (spáō, “to draw out, pull out”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σπασμός
- σπασμός (spasmós)contraction of a muscle
Arabic تَشَنُّج
- تَشَنُّج (tašannuj)contraction of a muscle
Bulgarian крамп, гърч
- крамп (kramp)contraction of a muscle
- гърч (gărč)contraction of a muscle
- спазма (spazma)a violent, excruciating seizure of pain
- изблик (izblik)a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
Catalan espasme
- espasmecontraction of a muscle
Chinese Cantonese 痙攣 /痉挛
- 痙攣 /痉挛 (ging⁶lyun⁴)contraction of a muscle
Chinese Mandarin 痙攣 /痉挛
- 痙攣 /痉挛 (jìngluán)contraction of a muscle
Czech křeč
- křečcontraction of a muscle
Danish krampe
- krampecontraction of a muscle
Dutch kramp, stuip
- krampcontraction of a muscle
- stuipa violent, excruciating seizure of pain
Esperanto spasmo, spasmo
- spasmocontraction of a muscle
- spasmoa violent, excruciating seizure of pain
Finnish spasmi, kouristus
- spasmicontraction of a muscle
- kouristuscontraction of a muscle
- kipukohtausa violent, excruciating seizure of pain
- puuskaa sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
- kohtausa sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
French spasme
- spasmecontraction of a muscle
German Krampf, Muskelkrampf
- Krampfcontraction of a muscle
- Muskelkrampfcontraction of a muscle
- Spasmuscontraction of a muscle
- Anfalla sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
- verkrampfento produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles
- krampfento produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles
Greek σπασμός, σύσπαση
- σπασμός (spasmós)contraction of a muscle
- σύσπαση (sýspasi)contraction of a muscle
- σπασμός (spasmós)a violent, excruciating seizure of pain
- κρίση (krísi)a violent, excruciating seizure of pain
- κρίση (krísi)a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
- παροξυσμός (paroxysmós)a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
Hebrew עֲוִית
- עֲוִית ('avít)contraction of a muscle
Hungarian görcs
- görcscontraction of a muscle
Irish ríog, taom
- ríogcontraction of a muscle
- taoma sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
Italian spasmo
- spasmocontraction of a muscle
Japanese 痙攣
- 痙攣 (keiren)contraction of a muscle
Korean 경련
- 경련 (gyeongnyeon)contraction of a muscle
Latvian krampji
- krampjicontraction of a muscle
Māori timu, tumu
- timucontraction of a muscle
- tumucontraction of a muscle
- hōkaicontraction of a muscle
- hototo produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles
- ioto produce a sudden spasm or uncontrolled movement of the muscles
Norwegian Bokmål krampe, spasme
- krampecontraction of a muscle
- spasmecontraction of a muscle
Polish spazm, kurcz
- spazmcontraction of a muscle
- kurczcontraction of a muscle
- skurczcontraction of a muscle
Portuguese espasmo
- espasmocontraction of a muscle
Romanian spasm
- spasmcontraction of a muscle
Russian спазм
- спазм (spazm)contraction of a muscle
Slovak kŕč
- kŕčcontraction of a muscle
Spanish espasmo, acceso
- espasmocontraction of a muscle
- accesoa sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion
Swedish kramp
- krampcontraction of a muscle
Tagalog kisay
- kisaycontraction of a muscle
Turkish spazm, kramp
- spazmcontraction of a muscle
- krampa violent, excruciating seizure of pain
Vietnamese co thắt
- co thắtcontraction of a muscle
Welsh sbasm, gwingiad
- sbasmcontraction of a muscle
- gwingiadcontraction of a muscle
- gwewyrcontraction of a muscle
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with spasm
All rhymes →Cite this entry
spasm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spasm
“spasm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spasm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spasm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spasm.
Source: spasm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.