A medical condition characterized by paralysis or involuntary trembling of muscles, often affecting movement and coordination.
From Old French paralesie, from Latin paralysis, from Greek paralysis 'loosening, paralysis.' The word entered Middle English around 1300, with the 'r' sound eventually lost through regular sound change.
The transformation from 'paralysis' to 'palsy' shows how words can be dramatically shortened through centuries of everyday use—what linguists call 'phonetic erosion'—while maintaining their essential meaning.
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