Definition

A sudden tightening of a blood vessel that decreases blood flow.

Example

The doctor explained that a vasospasm can lead to serious health issues if not treated promptly.

Conversation

I read an article about how stress can lead to a vasospasm in some people.

Really? I had no idea stress could affect blood vessels like that.

Yeah, it mentioned that a sudden vasospasm could reduce blood flow significantly.

That's pretty scary — I guess we should manage our stress better!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Vasospasm → It is formed from "vaso-" (from Greek "vasa", meaning vessel) and "spasm" (from Greek "spasmos", meaning a sudden involuntary contraction). The word describes a sudden contraction of blood vessels.

Memory Tip

Think of 'vessels' ('vaso-') that suddenly 'contract' ('spasm') — that's what vasospasm means.

Visually Confused Words