Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sudden irregular twitching of muscles or parts of muscles, occurring in various brain disorders.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the extremities and, less frequently, of the back.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine The brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a clonic spasm of a muscle or muscle group

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

myo-

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Examples

  • Once called myoclonus, PLMS causes you to involuntarily flex and extend your legs while sleeping - without being aware you're doing it.

    Find Me A Cure 2008

  • When Liz runs the nocturnal myoclonus leg wires, the banker has an erection.

    Intersomnolence Wendy Wimmer 2011

  • When Liz runs the nocturnal myoclonus leg wires, the banker has an erection.

    Intersomnolence Wendy Wimmer 2011

  • And once again, I deeply and sincerely apologize for having had the impertinence to permit my myoclonus and fasciculations and other neurological symptoms of Lyme to resolve in a manner and through a physician that didn't meet with your express approval.

    Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans 1 Dinosaur 2007

  • I do know that within a week of starting his regimen, the myoclonus, fasciculations and word reversals noticeably diminished.

    Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans 1 Dinosaur 2007

  • This particular doctor is a fancy Park Ave ID guy who had lots of patients with country homes, and so he listened to my story about the myoclonus and the lancinating pains and immediately diagnosed Lyme.

    Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans 1 Dinosaur 2007

  • Now I realize it might have been startle myoclonus.

    Life Support Tess Gerritsen 1997

  • Weight gain and skin rash, myoclonus, and hypomania 207 also may be problems for some patients.

    The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry Michael Alan Taylor 1993

  • Coarse tremors, ataxia, and myoclonus can occur after ingestion of toxic amounts of these compounds.

    The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry Michael Alan Taylor 1993

  • Some patients have an idiosyncratic response to cyclic antidepressants that are potent serotonin uptake blockers e.g., fluoxetine and develop a syndrome characterized by restlessness, hyperreflexia, myoclonus, insomnia, diaphoresis, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

    The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry Michael Alan Taylor 1993

Comments

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  • This word can be used to describe that weird feeling of falling – and subsequent jerking awake – one sometimes gets right before falling asleep.

    July 14, 2008