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Definition of spasmodic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spasmodic

adjective
 
/spæzˈmɒdɪk/
 
/spæzˈmɑːdɪk/
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  1. happening suddenly for short periods of time; not regular or continuous
    • a spasmodic interest in politics
    • There was spasmodic fighting in the area yesterday.
    • The training given was spasmodic and followed no organized pattern.
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  2. (specialist) caused by your muscles becoming tight in a way that you cannot control
    • spasmodic movements
  3. Word Originlate 17th cent.: from modern Latin spasmodicus, from Greek spasmōdēs, from spasma, from span ‘pull’.
See spasmodic in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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adverb
 
 
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