意味一覧 (2件)
けいれん
解説 Definition
筋肉が急に収縮する現象。通常は不随意で短時間で終わり、しばしば痛みや激しい動きを伴う。神経の過敏性や疲労、冷えなどがきっかけとなりやすい。
A spasm is a sudden, short movement or tightening of a muscle that you cannot control. It is often used in medical or health contexts to talk about pain or body reactions. It can also mean a sudden brief burst of emotion or activity in a more general sense.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
このエントリでは spasm を「筋肉のけいれん」として覚えます。基本義の「発作」と同じく急に起こる点は共通しますが、ここで大事なのは muscle spasm, back spasm のように筋肉が意思と関係なくきゅっと収縮する場面です。cramp は痛いこむら返りに近く、twitch は小さなぴくつき、spasm は医学的に筋肉の急な収縮を広く描く語として整理しましょう。
Learn `spasm` first in common pairs like `muscle spasm` or `back spasm`. The key memory image is a sudden movement your body does by itself, not a long steady pain. It also helps to compare it with `cramp`, which is often more about painful tightening.
例文
The muscle spasm occurred suddenly during her workout.
筋肉のけいれんは彼女のワークアウト中に突然起こりました。
He experienced a painful spasm in his back.
彼は背中に痛いけいれんを経験しました。
The medication helped relieve the spasm.
その薬はけいれんの緩和に役立ちました。
発作
(意味 2)解説 Definition
病気の症状や感情・行動などが突然短く起こる「発作」を表す名詞です。医学的な seizure ほど限定されず、a spasm of coughing や a spasm of anger のように、急な発現や一時的な高まりにも使われます。
A spasm is a sudden, short attack of a physical symptom, feeling, or action. It is often used for things that appear quickly and do not last long, such as pain, coughing, or anger. The word is broader than seizure and is not limited to a medical event. It can describe both body symptoms and a brief burst of emotion or behavior.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
spasm は「急に起こって短く続くもの」というイメージで覚えると整理しやすい語です。attack も「発作」を表せますが、spasm は特に a spasm of pain, coughing, anger のように、体の症状や感情が一瞬ぶわっと出る感じに合います。別エントリの「けいれん」は筋肉の急な収縮に焦点がありますが、ここではより広く「発作的な発現」を表す用法として区別しましょう。
Think of spasm as something that comes on suddenly and lasts only a short time. It often fits phrases like a spasm of pain, coughing, or anger, where something bursts out for a moment. Attack can also mean "発作," but spasm is especially useful for a quick physical symptom or a brief emotional surge. Keep it separate from words meaning muscle cramp, because spasm can be wider than just muscle movement.
例文
He had a spasm of coughing during the meeting.
彼は会議中にせきの発作を起こした。
A sudden spasm of pain ran through her lower back.
突然、腰に痛みの発作が走った。
In a spasm of anger, he slammed the door and walked out.
怒りの発作的な高まりで、彼はドアを強く閉めて出ていった。
spasm の語源・成り立ち Etymology
spasm はギリシャ語 spasmos「引きつれ・けいれん」に由来し、動詞 span「引っぱる」が核です。つまり筋肉が「強く引かれる」感じがそのまま意味になっており、spastic や spasmodic も同じ語根から来ています。
Spasm comes from Greek spasmos, meaning a pulling or convulsion. Its root is a verb meaning "to pull" or "to draw tight." The modern sense grew from the idea of muscles being suddenly pulled tight. Related English words include spastic and spasmodic.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう