paroxysme

Etymology

From Ancient Greek παροξυσμός (paroxusmós, “irritation, the severe fit of a disease”), from παροξύνειν (paroxúnein, “to sharpen, irritate”), from παρά (pará, “beside”) + ὀξύνειν (oxúnein, “sharpen”), from ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa.ʁɔk.sism/

Noun

paroxysme m (plural paroxysmes)

1. height
2. paroxysm

Further reading

• “paroxysme” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).