apoplectic

In a sentence.

1. 01

   The editor was apoplectic when the final draft disappeared.

2. 02

   He grew apoplectic over a rule that changed without warning.

Where it came from.

The word came through French and Latin from Greek forms related to apoplēssein, ‘to strike down.’ Its older medical sense referred to a sudden stroke; the anger sense is figurative.

Why it’s interesting.

The modern use turns an old medical image into a dramatic description of anger. It is best reserved for more than mild annoyance.