noun

apoplexy

AP-uh-plek-see/ˈæpəpleksi/

An old term for a sudden stroke.

The old medical record lists apoplexy as the cause of death.

Depict the extreme-anger branch of the frozen definition: a young adult man erupts in unmistakable fury at a desk, with clenched fists, rigid shoulders, tightly drawn brows and an open shouting mouth.

Etymology

apoGreekoff; perhaps adds emphasis here

+plexGreekto strike

+yGreekcondition

The pieces evoke being “struck down,” matching a stroke’s sudden incapacitation; apo- may intensify “strike” here rather than mean “away.” Extreme anger is a figurative use of this medical term.

In context

Storytime Haven79:02

In anger he must have addressed you, and his passion got the better of his age--he fell suddenly on the floor with a stroke of apoplexy.

🕵️‍♂️ The Silent Bullet: A Craig Kennedy Mystery 🔍 | Arthur B. Reeve

More examples

The historian explains the diagnosis of apoplexy.
The nineteenth-century physician recorded apoplexy after the patient suffered a sudden stroke.
The archive lists apoplexy among the historical diagnoses of fatal strokes.

Forms

apoplexy

Similar words

stroke: The modern medical term for the historical core use.
rage: Describes the figurative anger without invoking a medical event.