convulse
Meaning
to cause (someone) to suffer sudden, violent, uncontrollable movements of the body
to disturb or agitate violently
Structure
Usage
the patient began to convulse uncontrollably during the seizure.
the nation was convulsed by a series of political scandals.
a sudden jolt of pain convulsed his features.
Etymology
the word convulse originates from the latin convulsus, the past participle of convellere, meaning 'to tear loose, to pull violently'. this verb itself is a compound of the prefix con-, intensifying the action, and vellere, meaning 'to pull or pluck'. the core imagery is of a violent pulling or wrenching apart. over time, this literal sense of being violently shaken apart evolved into the modern medical and figurative meanings, describing involuntary muscular contractions that seem to tear at the body or events that violently disturb a system.
Analysis
con- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'together' or 'with'). -vulse (from latin vuls-, the past participial stem of vellere, meaning 'to pull, to pluck, to tear').