Tetraplegias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition characterized by the paralysis of all four limbs, resulting from spinal cord injury or neurological disorders
2. A medical state involving the complete loss of motor function in both arms and legs due to damage in the nervous system
3. A severe disability affecting the ability to move both the upper and lower body, often leading to significant impacts on mobility and daily life

Etymology: "Tetraplegias" is simply the plural of "tetraplegia," so the question is really about the parent word. It is formed from "tetra-," the Ancient Greek combining form of "téssares," meaning "four," and "-plegia," from Greek "plēgē," meaning "stroke" or "blow," used in medicine to mean paralysis. Put together, the term describes paralysis that strikes all four limbs. The "-plegia" element is the more revealing part. Greek "plēgē" meant a blow or a striking, and it gave medicine a family of words for conditions where something had been struck down, as if by a blow. "Hemiplegia," paralysis of one side of the body, uses the same ending with "hemi-," meaning half. Tetraplegia belongs to this family of coinages built on classical parts.

Synonyms: quadriplegias, paralysis, paraplegias

Antonyms: mobility, movement, ambulation