Pa*ral"y*sis (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ?,
fr. ? to loosen, dissolve, or disable at the side; para`
beside + ? to loosen. See Para-, and Loose, and cf.
Palsy.] (Med.) Abolition of function, whether
complete or partial; esp., the loss of the power of voluntary motion,
with or without that of sensation, in any part of the body; palsy. See
Hemiplegia, and Paraplegia. Also used
figuratively. "Utter paralysis of memory." G.
Eliot.
Mischievous practices arising out of the
paralysis of the powers of ownership.
Duke of
Argyll (1887).