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pertaining to spasm; consisting in spasm; occuring in, or characterized by, spasms; as, a spasmodic asthma.

Same as Spasmodic, a. -- Spas*mod"ic*al*ly, adv.

Good against spasms. -- n.

Continued pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. "Such an ache in my bones." Shak.

Sung or played in a restless, hurried, and spasmodic manner.

Counteracting spasms; antispasmodic. -- n.

plant (Ferula asafoetida) of Persia and the East India. It is used in medicine as an antispasmodic. [Written also assafoetida.]

A disease, characterized by difficulty of breathing (due to a spasmodic contraction of the bronchi), recurring at intervals, accompanied with a wheezing sound, a sense of constriction in the chest, a cough, and expectoration.

To issue with spasmodic force or noise. Dryden.

Broken fragments of ice. Kane. Water brash (Med.), an affection characterized by a spasmodic pain or hot sensation in the stomach with a rising of watery liquid into the mouth; pyrosis. -- Weaning brash (Med.), a severe form of diarrhea which sometimes attacks children just weaned.

other ingredients, highly celebrated in India as an antidote, and as a stomachic and antispasmodic.

Expelling wind from the body; warning; antispasmodic. "Carmenative hot seeds." Dunglison.

tween the anus and external genitals of the beaver; castor; -- used in medicine as an antispasmodic, and by perfumers.

A spasmodic trembling of the upper eyelid.

A spasmodic and painful involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles, as of the leg. The cramp, divers nights, gripeth him in his legs. Sir T. More. Cramp bone, the patella of a sheep; -- formerly used as a charm for the cramp. Halliwell. "He could turn cramp bones into chess men." Dickens. -- Cramp ring, a ring for…

A painful, spasmodic affection of the muscles of some part of the body, as of the neck or back, rendering it difficult to move the part. To those also that, with a crick or cramp, have thei necks drawn backward. Holland.

A very slight convulsive or spasmodic contraction of certain muscles, external or internal. Few men can look down from a great height without creepings and crispations. O. W. Holmes.

alled ducks and drakes. Internal earthquakes, that, not content with one throe, run along spasmodically, like boys playing at what is called drakestone. De Quincey.

A drawing of the body forward, in consequence of the spasmodic action of some of the muscles. Gross.

fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus. -- False croup (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane. -- False door or window (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to com…