Also spelled paralyse and paralysed
verb
Freq #29104
Meanings
-
1
verb
To make someone unable to move part or all of their body.
The injury paralyzed him from the waist down.
-
2
verb
To make something unable to work or function.
The strike paralyzed transport across the whole city.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
1
verb
· to make someone unable to...
paralyse
2
verb
· to make something unable to...
paralyse
Word family
Forms
paralysingparalyzedparalyzesparalyzing
Derived forms
paralyzationparalyzer
Etymology
Partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly either (i) formed within English, by derivation. Or partly (ii) a borrowing from French, combined with an English element. Etymons: Middle English paralysie, -ize suffix; French paralyser.
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