( BrE ) ( NAmE para·lyze ) / ˈpærəlaɪz; NAmE / verb [ vn ] [ often passive ]
1.
to make sb unable to feel or move all or part of their body :
The accident left him paralysed from the waist down .
( figurative )
paralysing heat
( figurative )
She stood there, paralysed with fear.
2.
to prevent sth from functioning normally :
The airport is still paralysed by the strike.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 19th cent.: from French paralyser , from paralysie paralysis.