apoplexy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
    stroke; CVA; cerebrovascular accident.

WordNet

Ap"o*plex`y noun
Etymology
OE. poplexye, LL. poplexia, apoplexia, fr. Gr. , fr. to cripple by a stroke; from + to strike: cf. F. apoplexie. See Plague.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) Sudden diminution or loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion, usually caused by pressure on the brain. ✍ The term is now usually limited to cerebral apoplexy, or loss of consciousness due to effusion of blood or other lesion within the substance of the brain; but it is sometimes extended to denote an effusion of blood into the substance of any organ; as, apoplexy of the lung.

Webster 1913