Doms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Stiffness or soreness in muscles occurring after unusual or intense physical activity; a condition characterized by delayed onset muscle pain; a sensation of discomfort following exertion
2. The feeling of muscular tightness and tenderness developing hours to days after strenuous exercise; pain that arises delayed after exercise; the physical response involving aching muscles post-activity
3. A physiological state marked by muscle soreness and reduced flexibility following new or high-intensity workouts; discomfort occurring after exercise; delayed muscle pain caused by microscopic muscle damage

Etymology: "Doms" is an acronym that has become an ordinary plural noun. It stands for delayed onset muscle soreness, the ache that usually arrives a day or so after an unfamiliar or strenuous workout rather than during it. Most people feel it peak roughly 24 to 72 hours after exertion. The three parts of the phrase each do a job: "delayed" describes the timing, "onset" marks the start of the symptoms, and "muscle soreness" names the sensation. Pronouncing the letters as one word, "dom," turned the initialism into a countable noun, so people can now speak of having a bad bout of doms, the way they might speak of a cold or a headache.

Synonyms: dominants, masters

Antonyms: subs, submissives