paroxysm
(medicine) A period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; a sudden attack of a disease symptom, such as a bout of coughing or a seizure.
(by extension) A sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling; also, the most severe part of an activity or incident; the climax.
If prevented by force, the screams she sometimes uttered in her paroxysms of rage were fearful, and must inevitably be heard.
Her doubts and terrors reached their paroxysm; and the poor girl, who for many hours had been plunged into stupor, raved and ran hither and thither in hysteric insanity—a piteous sight.
Unable to turn his back on the fanged danger and go on, the bull would be driven into paroxysms of rage.
There, on the soft sand, a few feet away from our elders, we would sprawl all morning, in a petrified paroxysm of desire, and take advantage of every blessed quirk in space and time to touch each other: […]
He was capable of mighty paroxysms of righteous indignation, and he was indignant as could be when he learned that a C.I.D. man was in the area looking for him.
(by extension, archaic) An outburst of a violent argument or disagreement.
(by extension, chiefly geology) A violent occurrence of a natural phenomenon, such as an earthquake, thunderstorm, or volcanic eruption; specifically (volcanology), the most explosive event during a series of volcanic eruptions.
(by extension, rare) Disastrous or sudden change.
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