palsy
/ˈpɔːlzi/noun, verb, adjective
palsy is spelled P-A-L-S-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, palsy means “Complete or partial muscle paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by a loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of palsy is palsies.
How many letters and syllables are in palsy?
| Letters | 5: P-A-L-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is palsy?
Palsy appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce palsy?
- /ˈpɔːlzi/
As an adjective (“Chummy, friendly”): /ˈpælzi/.
Palsy has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-palsy1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-palsy2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with palsy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as palsy (/ælzi/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: splay.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of palsy
- palsies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- palsying participle, present
- palsied participle, past
- more palsy comparative
- most palsy superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does palsy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Complete or partial muscle paralysis of a body part, often accompanied by a loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking.
The palsie plagues my pulses when I prigg yoͬ: piggs or pullen your culuers take, or matchles make your Chanticleare or sullen
- 2
slangMate, chum.
verb
- 1
To paralyse, either completely or partially.
adjective
- 1
colloquialChummy, friendly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Palsy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense complete or partial muscle paralysis of a body part:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does palsy come from?
From Middle English palesie, from Anglo-Norman paralisie, parleisie et al., from Latin paralysis, from Ancient Greek παράλυσις (parálusis, “palsy”), from παραλύω (paralúō, “to disable on one side”), from παρα- (para-, “beside”) + λύω (lúō, “loosen”). Doublet of paralysis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).