paralysis
puh-RAL-uh-sis · noun
Ancient GreekLatinEnglish
Origin
Borrowed from Latin paralysis, itself from Ancient Greek παράλυσις (parálusis, "palsy"), from παραλύω (paralúō, "to disable on one side"). Its pieces break down as para- + -lysis.
Journey
The word passed from Greek into Latin and then into English largely unchanged in form, carrying its core meaning of bodily disabling along with it.
Related words
It's a doublet of palsy — the two words descend from the same Greek root but reached English by different paths, one staying close to its Latin form, the other worn down through everyday use.