The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is…

paroxysm (noun):

1: a fit, attack, or sudden increase or recurrence of symptoms (as of a disease) : convulsion
a paroxysm of coughing
2: a sudden violent emotion or action : outburst

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Paroxysm didn't just burst onto the scene recently; its roots go back to ancient Greek. The word ultimately derives from the Greek paroxynein, which means "to stimulate." Oxynein, a parent of paroxynein, means "to provoke" or "to sharpen" and comes from oxys, a Greek word for "sharp." (That root also underlies the word oxygen.) In its earliest known English uses in the 15th century, paroxysm denoted agitation or intensification of a disease or its symptoms. (A still-used example of that sense is "a paroxysm of coughing.") Additionally, paroxysm soon took on a broader sense referring to an outburst, especially a dramatic physical or emotional one.

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