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convalesce

UK/ˌkɒn.vəˈlɛs/US/ˌkɑn.vəˈlɛs/
verbC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,371 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: convalescing, convalesced, convalesces

To convalesce is to recover slowly after an illness. Convalesce at home, sent away to convalesce, still convalescing.

It is the stage after being cured and before being well, and it was once taken seriously enough that convalescent homes existed for it. The Latin means to grow strong again.

James Tissot · Public domain

Definitions of convalesce

  1. 1verbconvalesceTo recover slowly after an illness.C1

    “After the operation, she went to stay by the sea to convalesce.”

convalesce is a recovering.

Where it comes from

Latin convalescere means to grow strong, from con- plus valere, to be strong.

  1. Latin

    convalesco

  2. English, today

    convalesce

Built from

  • valesco · Latin — to become strong
  • valeo · Latin — to be strong

From Latin convalesco, from con- + valesco (“to become strong”), inchoative of valeo (“to be strong”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

convalesce in the wild

  • The narrator catches a tropical disease and flies back to the United States to convalesce.

    Ravelstein

  • Following an illness after the birth of her son, the future James VI, Mary arrived at Craigmillar on 20 November 1566 to convalesce.

    Craigmillar Castle

  • Du Cros offered the use of the house to King George V to convalesce from a lung condition, as the house was located just yards from the sea.

    Craigweil House

  • The Bothin Convalescent Hospital was established in 1910 as a place for women and children to convalesce after illness or surgery.

    Bothin, California

  • After contracting a severe illness he returned to New Zealand to convalesce and, in 1962 after recovering, he voluntarily relinquished his rank to join the NZSAS.

    Niwa Kawha

1 / 2

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the valeo family

valiantprevail

convalesce — used about once every 54,060 pages · #14,371 · point at the bar for the others