A sudden loss of consciousness or ability to move caused by a stroke or bleeding in the brain; also used metaphorically to mean a fit of extreme anger.
From Greek apoplassein meaning 'to strike down or disable,' from apo- 'away from' and plassein 'to strike.' The term was used for centuries to describe sudden, dramatic medical emergencies.
Before modern medicine, doctors had no idea what actually caused apoplexy, so they made up wild theories about blocked 'animal spirits' and imbalanced humors—it wasn't until the microscope was invented that we could see blood vessel damage and brain bleeding.
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