Convulse
/kənˈvʌls/noun
To cause a sudden, violent, involuntary contraction or spasm; to shake or jerk violently.
Did you know?Convulse comes from Latin convellere, and the same root family gave English words tied to pulling, wrenching, and violence—proof that even ordinary vocabulary can hide a brutal physical origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel-
“to turn, roll, or twist”
Latin
Latin
vellere
“to pull, pluck, or tear”
Latin
Latin
convellere
“to pull apart; to tear violently; to wrench away”
Late Latin
Latin
convulsus
“shaken violently; torn apart”
Middle French
Old French
convulser
“to convulse, to shake violently”
16th Century
English
convulse
“to shake or agitate violently, especially by involuntary muscular spasms”
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