die  Lähmung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈlɛːmʊŋ/

What does "die Lähmung" mean?

Die Lähmung (feminine, plural: die Lähmungen) primarily describes the state of loss of the ability to move parts of the body or the entire body, often resulting from damage to the nervous system. It's a medical term for paralysis.

However, it can also be used figuratively to describe a state of standstill or inability to act, for example:

• Eine Verkehrslähmung (traffic paralysis/gridlock)
• Eine politische Lähmung (political paralysis - inability to act or make decisions)

🚨 Attention: Although it sounds medical, the context can also be metaphorical.

Article rules for der, die, and das

️ Grammar Corner: Declension of Lähmung

"Lähmung" is a feminine noun. The article is die.

Declension:

Example Sentences

1. Nach dem Unfall litt er an einer Lähmung der Beine. (After the accident, he suffered from paralysis of the legs.)
2. Die Angst verursachte eine völlige Lähmung seiner Gedanken. (The fear caused a complete paralysis of his thoughts.)
3. Starke Schneefälle führten zur Lähmung des öffentlichen Nahverkehrs. (Heavy snowfall led to the paralysis of public transport.)
4. Man unterscheidet verschiedene Arten von Lähmungen. (Different types of paralysis are distinguished.)

Usage Notes: When to use "Lähmung"

The term "Lähmung" is mainly used in two contexts:

1. Medical Context: Here, it refers to the physical condition of paralysis. One might speak of a vollständige Lähmung (complete paralysis) or partielle Lähmung (partial paralysis), a spastische Lähmung (spastic paralysis) or schlaffe Lähmung (flaccid paralysis). Often the cause is mentioned (e.g., Lähmung durch Schlaganfall - paralysis due to stroke).
2. Figurative/Metaphorical Context: Here, "Lähmung" describes a state of standstill, inactivity, or blockage in systems or processes. Examples include Verkehrslähmung (traffic paralysis/gridlock), wirtschaftliche Lähmung (economic paralysis), or an emotionale Lähmung (emotional paralysis/numbness).

Compared to Erstarrung (numbness, freezing, torpor), Lähmung often emphasizes the loss of the *ability* to move or act more strongly, whereas Erstarrung can also describe a momentary state (e.g., *vor Schreck erstarren* - to freeze in fear).

Memory Aids for "die Lähmung"

For the article 'die': Most German nouns ending in -ung are feminine (die). Think: The Bewegung (movement) is gone, that's die Lähmung.

For the meaning 'paralysis': Imagine someone is lame (German: lahm) and cannot move. The intensification of this is Lähmung – the complete inability to move.

Alternatives and Opposites: Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Be careful with the verb lahmlegen: it means 'to bring something to a standstill' or 'to paralyze', often used figuratively.

A Little Joke

Warum konnte das Skelett nicht auf die Party gehen?
Es hatte keine Nerven mehr – totale Lähmung!

(Why couldn't the skeleton go to the party?
It had no nerves left – total paralysis!)

Poem about Paralysis

Ein Stillstand, tief und schwer,
kein Muskel rührt sich mehr.
Die Nervenbahn, sie schweigt,
von Lähmung ist's gezeigt.
Ob Körper, Geist, Verkehr,
es geht nichts vorwärts mehr.

(A standstill, deep and grave,
no muscle makes a wave.
The nerve path, it is mute,
by paralysis shown absolute.
Be it body, mind, or traffic's way,
nothing moves forward today.)

Little Riddle

Ich nehme die Kraft, zu geh'n und steh'n,
lass Muskeln ruh'n, nichts kann gescheh'n.
Mal treff' ich Glieder, mal den ganzen Mann,
manchmal auch den Verkehr auf der Autobahn.

Wer bin ich? ... Die Lähmung

(I take the strength to walk and stand,
let muscles rest, nothing can be planned.
Sometimes I strike limbs, sometimes the whole man,
sometimes also the traffic on the Autobahn.

What am I?
... Paralysis / Die Lähmung)

Word Facts: Origin & More

Word Formation:

The word "Lähmung" is a nominalization (turning into a noun) of the verb lähmen (to paralyze). This verb derives from the adjective lahm, which originally meant 'frail', 'weak', or 'unable to move'.

• lahm (adjective: lame) -> lähmen (verb: to paralyze/lame) -> die Lähmung (noun: paralysis)

Related Terms:

• lahmlegen: To bring something to a standstill, to paralyze (often figuratively) (e.g., Der Streik legte die Produktion lahm. - The strike paralyzed production.)
• gelähmt: The past participle of lähmen, often used as an adjective (paralyzed) (e.g., Er war vor Schreck wie gelähmt. - He was paralyzed with fear.)