spasn.html - n.
1 a sudden involuntary muscular contraction.
2 a sudden convulsive movement or emotion etc. (a spasm of coughing).
3 (usu. foll. by of) colloq. a brief spell of an activity. [ME f. OF spasme or L spasmus f. Gk spasmos, spasma f. spao pull]

spasn.html - adj.
1 of, caused by, or subject to, a spasm or spasms (a spasmodic jerk; spasmodic asthma).
2 occurring or done by fits and starts (spasmodic efforts).

spasmodically adv. [mod.L spasmodicus f. Gk spasmodes (as SPASM)]

spasn.html - adj. & n.
--adj.

1 Med. suffering from cerebral palsy with spasm of the muscles.
2 offens. weak, feeble, incompetent.
3 spasmodic.

--n.

Med. a spastic person.

spastically adv. spasticity n. [L spasticus f. Gk spastikos pulling f. spao pull]

spasn.html - See: OUTER SPACE.

spasn.html - {n.}, {Space English} An unmanned spacecraft other than an Earth satellite fitted with instruments which gather and transmit information about other planets in the solar system (e.g., Venus, Mars, and Jupiter) on what are called fly-by missions, i.e., without the craft landing on any of these bodies. * /Both the U.S.A. and Russia have sent up many a space probe in the past decade./

spasn.html - {adj.}, {slang}, {informal} Having gaps in one's train of thought, confused, incoherent; resembling the behavior of someone who is under the influence of drugs. * /Joe's been acting funny lately - spaced out, you might say./