Abstract

Paresis () is a condition typified by a weakness of voluntary movement, or partial loss of voluntary movement or by impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it can also be used to describe the muscles of the eyes (ophthalmoparesis), the stomach (gastroparesis), and also the vocal cords (Vocal cord paresis). Neurologists use the term "paresis" to describe weakness, and "plegia" to describe paralysis in which all voluntary movement is lost. The term "paresis" comes from the "letting go" from παρίημι "to let go, to let fall".