spasmodicity

Meanings

nounspasmodicity (uncountable)

uncountableThe quality of being spasmodic.
There is more irritability of the mucous membranes and more spasmodicity in squilla than in bryonia.
1895, W[illia]m C[olby] Goodno, The Practice of Medicine […], volume II (Diseases of the Circulatory, Respiratory, Urinary, and Digestive Systems, Diseases of the Blood and Constitutional and Parasitic Diseases), Philadelphia, Pa.: Hahnemann Press, page 275
2 more examples
Meanwhile there is time and more time to he filled. One can race with time, by doing this, and this, and…Spasmodicity becomes the way of life, the restless behavior of the untrained or mistrained person, with components of irritability, anxiety, misdirected or briefly sustained effort.
1950, Bernard Phillips, “[Notes on the Prison Community] After Prisonization”, in Holley Cantine, Dachine Rainer, editors, Prison Etiquette: The Convict’s Compendium of Useful Information, Bearsville, N.Y.: Retort Press, section 2 (The Prison Community), page 104
The problem arises because people take interest no doubt, but the interest does not last. That is, their interest is of very short duration and as soon as they feel that their effort is not being blessed with success, they abandon their efforts. What then is really needed for sure success? I feel that unless the interest is a permanent interest, then all are doomed to this spasmodicity of effort and, therefore, of failure.
2010, Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, “Indore, 21 January 1991”, in Messages Universal (Shri Ram Chandra Mission), volume II, Kolkata: Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust, →ISBN, page 76
Synonyms: spasmodicality, spasmodicalness, spasmodicness