pəˈraləsə̇s noun
( plural paraly·ses -əˌsēz)
Etymology: Latin, from Greek, from paralyein to loosen, disable (from para- para- (I) + lyein to unbind, release, paralyze) + -sis — more at lose
1.
a. : complete or partial loss of function involving the power of motion or of sensation in any part of the body : palsy — see hemiplegia , paraplegia , paresis
b. : a disorder of the adult honeybee characterized by trembling
2. : loss of the ability to move
overcrowded office buildings add to the paralysis of traffic — Lewis Mumford
congestion is increased, sometimes almost to the point of paralysis , because of the increasing size and number of trucks — Zoning for Truck-Loading Facilities
3. : a state of powerlessness or inactivity : impotence
with the paralysis of industry will come the surrender of political authority — Louis Wasserman
a sort of paralysis seems to have affected the soldiers when they touched politics — R.C.K.Ensor
the weakling … had succumbed to a paralysis of fear — E.S.Miers
enough idleness to threaten the nation's business … with complete paralysis — Roger Burlingame