Definition of "paralytic" [par•a•lyt•ic]

• Of or relating to paralysis. (adjective)
• Characteristic of or resembling paralysis. (adjective)
• Affected with paralysis; paralyzed. (adjective)
• A person affected with paralysis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There are various types which have been called the paralytic, the choreic, and the saltatory."
• "_ Tremor of old age consists of a perpetual trembling of the hands, or of the head, or of other muscles, when they are exerted; and is erroneously called paralytic; and seems owing to the small quantity of animal power residing in the muscular fibres."
• "The resulting sickness, known as paralytic shellfish poisoning, can cause serious illness or death in humans who consume shellfish with toxic levels of red tide."