Etymology From French apoplectique, from Late Latin apoplēcticus, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληκτικός (apoplēktikós), from ἀπόπληκτος (apóplēktos), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō), from ἀπό (apó, “of, from”) + πλήσσω (plḗssō, “I strike”).
Once she heard Jem refer to our father as 'Atticus' and her reaction was apoplectic.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, chapter 11, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
Speak of the devil—he marches through the door, and becomes apoplectic when he learns of the upheaval.2005 December 12, The New Yorker:
3 more examples
The decision left Potters boss Tony Pulis apoplectic on the touchline, a feeling his West Ham counterpart Avram Grant was to share immediately after the break.2011 March 13, Chris Bevan, “Stoke 2 - 1 West Ham”, in BBC:
If older man/younger women matchups make many people uncomfortable, the older man/much younger women combo tends to make them apoplectic.2014 August 27, Stephanie Zacharek, “The Last of Robin Hood Wrestles with a Star's Underage Love”, in The Village Voice, archived from the original on 03 Sep 2014:
Yet when one relistens to the original Rock, Rot & Rule broadcast, the most salient element is not the comedy. It’s the apoplectic phone calls from random WFMU listeners.2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN:
Etymology From French apoplectique, from Late Latin apoplēcticus, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληκτικός (apoplēktikós), from ἀπόπληκτος (apóplēktos), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō), from ἀπό (apó, “of, from”) + πλήσσω (plḗssō, “I strike”).