cramp

Definition

A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.

Etymology

From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish *krampa (“cramp”), from Proto-West Germanic *krampu, from Proto-Germanic *krampō (“cramp, clasp”). Distant relative of English crop.

Example Sentences

• "He retired hurt at 31 due to a leg cramp."
• "August 1534, Margaret Roper (or Thomas More in her name), letter to Alice Alington the cramp also that divers nights gripeth him in his legs."
• "A narrow Fortune is undoubtedly a Cramp to a great Mind."