Hypersthenia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An abnormally heightened state of muscular tension or vigor, sometimes seen in certain neurological or psychiatric conditions
2. A condition marked by excessive muscle tone and strength beyond what is considered normal for a person
3. Unusually strong or tense musculature, a clinical state of heightened physical vigor that can accompany some disorders

Etymology: "Hypersthenia" is built from two Greek elements. The first, "hyper", means "over" or "beyond", and it appears in English words such as hyperactive and hyperbole. The second, "sthenia", comes from Greek "sthenos", meaning "strength", and it is the root behind a family of medical terms for bodily vigour, such as asthenia, the opposite condition of weakness. Put together, the word literally means "excess of strength". Medical writers used the pattern to describe a state in which a body's muscles are stronger than normal, reversing the sense of asthenia, which describes muscular weakness or lack of energy. The term belongs to the vocabulary of modern medicine, coined from classical roots rather than used in antiquity.

Antonyms: asthenia