Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Convulse for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Convulse" — verb, pronounced /kənˈvʌls/, with the stress on "vuls".
Narrator: To convulse is to shake violently, or to make someone or something shake violently.
Narrator: In plain English, convulse means to shake hard and uncontrollably.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin convellere, to pull violently, from con, together, and vellere, to pull.
Narrator: "Convulsed with laughter" describes laughing so hard the body shakes.
Narrator: It differs from tremble because convulse is violent and uncontrolled, whereas tremble is a small shake.
Narrator: "The country was convulsed" is a second, figurative sense, meaning thrown into upheaval.
Narrator: Medicine, journalism, literature, politics and history all rely on the word convulse.
Narrator: So remember: convulse means to shake hard, in body or in society.
Speaker A: What does convulse mean?
Speaker B: To shake violently! CONVULSE comes from the Latin convellere, to pull violently, from vellere, to pull.
Speaker A: Is it always about illness?
Speaker B: No — people are also convulsed with laughter!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The audience convulsed with laughter"; "His body convulsed in pain"; "Scandal convulsed the government" — comedy, medicine and politics.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't use convulse for a gentle shiver, because the word is strong, and tremble or shiver is better.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Shake' the plain cousin, 'thrash' the wild twin, 'spasm' the medical alternative. The word keeps its violent-shudder charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "Convulse" in AI prompts — useful for health apps and news analysis.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame health?
Speaker B: Right. For a first aid guide, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a clear first aid page explaining what to do if someone begins to convulse.
Speaker A: How about news?
Speaker B: Ask the model to summarise:
Prompt: Summarise how the scandal convulsed the company and name the three biggest changes that followed.
Speaker A: Could it help with style?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame wording:
Prompt: Suggest a gentler word than convulse for a children's story where the audience shakes with laughter.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a detection tool, try this:
Prompt: Describe how a wearable sensor might detect when a user starts to convulse and alert a contact.
Convulse — meaning in Arabic & definition More C courses GL Dictionary