convalesce

American  

[kon-vuh-les] / ˌkɒn vəˈlɛs /

verb (used without object)

convalesces, present (3rd person singular) convalesced, past participle, past convalescing present participle

1. to recover health and strength after illness; make progress toward recovery of health.

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convalesce British  

/ ˌkɒnvəˈlɛs /

verb

1. (intr) to recover from illness, injury, or the aftereffects of a surgical operation, esp by resting

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• convalescing
  present
• convalesced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• convalesce
  simple
• convalesces
  simple
• have convalesced
  perfect
• has convalesced
  perfect
• are convalescing
  progressive
• am convalescing
  progressive
• is convalescing
  progressive
• have been convalescing
  perfect progressive
• has been convalescing
  perfect progressive

Past

• convalesced
  simple
• had convalesced
  perfect
• was convalescing
  progressive
• were convalescing
  progressive
• had been convalescing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will convalesce
  simple
• will have convalesced
  perfect
• will be convalescing
  progressive
• will have been convalescing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of convalesce

1475–85; < Latin convalēscere to grow fully strong, equivalent to con- con- + valēscere to grow strong ( val ( ēre ) to be well + -escere -esce )

Explanation

Convalesce is a soft-sounding word, and it describes something you should do in a soft bed: recover from an illness. When someone is convalescing, you can be sure something bad happened to them. Maybe they were hit by a car, had a heart attack, or got a bad case of the flu. People convalesce in hospitals, or, if things are a little less serious, at home. A nursing home is sometimes called a "convalescent home," because the old people who live there often have health problems. When you're sick or hurt badly enough to be convalescing, the good news is that you're starting to heal and have time to catch up on books or TV.

Related Words

• recuperate