spastic
adjective/ˈspæstɪk/
/ˈspæstɪk/
- (medical) relating to or caused by a muscle spasm (= a sudden contracting movement that cannot be controlled) or weakness, such as that caused by cerebral palsy
- spastic movements
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- (medical, old-fashioned, offensive) a word to describe somebody who is affected by cerebral palsy that is now considered offensive
- (informal, offensive, becoming old-fashioned) an offensive word used by children to mean ‘stupid’
Word Originmid 18th cent.: via Latin from Greek spastikos ‘pulling’, from span ‘pull’.
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spastic