Basic Details
Word: Paralysis
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Loss of the ability to move some or all of the body. It can also mean a state of being unable to act or decide.
Synonyms: immobility, standstill
Antonyms: movement, mobility
Word origin: From Greek paralusis, loosening or disabling, from paraluein, to loosen at the side.
How to Spell Paralysis
Syllables: pa - ral - y - sis
Tricky part: The y in the middle sounds like i, so students write paralisis. The y comes only once; the ending is sis, not sys.
Watch out for: paralisis, paralysys, parralysis
Memory tip: Spot lysis at the end, from the Greek for loosening: para-lysis is when the body's grip loosens. The y sits in lys, the i only in sis.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A spinal injury can cause paralysis of the legs.
Example 2: Fear caused a kind of paralysis, and she could not answer a single question.
Example 3: Doctors worked for months to reverse the paralysis in his arm.
Fun Fact
India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization in 2014, after years of pulse polio drives against a disease that can cause lifelong paralysis.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
par_l_sis
a) a, i
b) o, y
c) a, y
d) e, y
Show answer
c) a, y. Say pa-ral: an a comes before the l, and the next beat is written with y.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. paralysis 2. physiotheraphy 3. anasthesia 4. fracsure
a) a crack or break in a bone
b) the loss of power to move part of the body
c) loss of feeling caused by drugs given before surgery
d) treatment of injuries by exercise and massage
Show answer
b) the loss of power to move part of the body. Fracture ends in ture, anaesthesia has ae, and physiotherapy has no h after the p; paralysis is spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word paralysis as used in the sentence:
The heavy snowfall caused a complete paralysis of road and rail traffic.
a) movement
b) standstill
c) shutdown
d) halt
Show answer
a) movement. A standstill, a halt and a shutdown are what paralysis means here; movement is its opposite.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A person with paralysis in one hand finds it hard to ____.
a) taste food
b) see colours
c) hear clearly
d) move that hand
Show answer
d) move that hand
2. Which sentence uses paralysis to mean being unable to act or decide?
a) The snake's venom caused paralysis in the dog's back legs.
b) After the stroke, he had paralysis down his left side.
c) Fear of failure left the committee in a state of paralysis.
d) The fall from the tree led to paralysis below the waist.
Show answer
c) Fear of failure left the committee in a state of paralysis.
