Paralysis or weakness affecting one side of the body, typically resulting from stroke, brain injury, or spinal cord damage.
From Greek 'hemi-' (half) and 'plege' (stroke, blow). The term was adopted into medical terminology in the 1600s-1700s as understanding of neurological conditions improved.
Hemiplegy reveals how the brain is cross-wired: damage to the right side of your brain causes paralysis on your left side because neural pathways cross over at the brainstem—your brain controls the opposite side!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.