PAROXYSMAL • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Paroxysmal

... upon the plea of irresponsibility already urged by Mendouca himself; the poor lad assuring me that even he was not always safe from the consequences of his father's violence. And during the half-hour's chat that ensued I learnt enough to convince me that Mendouca was in very truth afflicted with paroxysmal attacks of genuine, undoubted madness; and that, in my future dealings with him, I should have to bear that exceedingly alarming and ...

— The Pirate Slaver - A Story of the West African Coast • Harry Collingwood