spastic

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin spasticus, from Ancient Greek σπαστικός (spastikós, “drawing in”). By surface analysis, spasm +‎ -tic. Compare French spastique and see also spasm.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈspastɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈspæstɪk/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æstɪk

Adjective

spastic (comparative more spastic, superlative most spastic)

1. (pathology) Of, relating to, or affected by spasm.
2. (pathology) Of or relating to spastic paralysis.
3. (slang, derogatory, offensive in the UK) Clumsy and stupid.
4. (slang, derogatory, offensive in the UK) Hyperactive, excited, and acting in a random manner.
   • 2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 182:

     The camera cuts from "Anton" and his fellow underwear-clad protestors to show a carnival ride in a parking lot, which the protestors have apparently mistaken for an oil rig. The protest then devolves into spastic dancing and ends with several arrests.

Usage notes

See the usage notes about the noun, below.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

spastic (plural spastics)

1. (now offensive, especially in UK) A person affected by spastic paralysis or spastic cerebral palsy.
2. (slang, derogatory, offensive especially in UK) A stupid, clumsy person.
   • 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 17:

     ‘Oi, Fleming, you spastic. Guess who I knobbed last night?’

   • 1997 December 1, Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, “To Kill a Mocking Alan”, in I'm Alan Partridge:

     Jed Maxwell: See you next week then. We'll have that pint.
     Alan Partridge: Yep.
     Jed Maxwell: ...go and see my brother.
     Alan Partridge: No way, you big spastic! You're a mentalist!

Usage notes

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Spastic

Wikipedia

The offensiveness of spastic and spaz differs considerably between the US and the UK. In the United States, the terms are usually inoffensive outside of the disability community; in the UK, they are broadly offensive and typically taken as denigrating references to those with cerebral palsy. Consequently, University of Sussex linguist Lynne Murphy has described spastic as "one of the most taboo insults to a British ear", and in a 2003 survey by the BBC it was voted the second-most offensive word relating to disability (after retard).

Derived terms

Translations

References

• “spastic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “spastic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• cat piss

Interlingua

Adjective

spastic (not comparable)

1. spastic

Related terms

• spasmo

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French spastique.

Adjective

spastic m or n (feminine singular spastică, masculine plural spastici, feminine and neuter plural spastice)

1. spastic

Declension