convulsion

American  

[kuhn-vuhl-shuhn] / kənˈvʌl ʃən /

noun

1. contortion of the body caused by violent, involuntary muscular contractions of the extremities, trunk, and head.

2. violent agitation or disturbance; commotion.

3. an outburst of great, uncontrollable laughter.

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convulsion British  

/ kənˈvʌlʃən /

noun

1. a violent involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles

2. a violent upheaval, disturbance, or agitation, esp a social one

3. informal (usually plural) uncontrollable laughter

   I was in convulsions

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convulsion Cultural  

1. A severe, often violent involuntary contraction of the muscles. Convulsions may be caused by high fevers or poisoning and often accompany such diseases such as epilepsy.

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Other Word Forms

• convulsionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of convulsion

First recorded in 1575–85, convulsion is from the Latin word convulsiōn- (stem of convulsiō ). See convulse, -ion

Example Sentences

Novo is in convulsions amid a dramatic selloff that started in the middle of last year, the company has recently shed its CEO and all of the independent directors on its board.

From Barron's

The back end of Mr. Bird’s book is a romp through the real-estate convulsions of Asia and the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

A more severe and concerning case can cause neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, or paralysis.

From Los Angeles Times

She said one prison guard had said Navalny was experiencing convulsions and was breathing heavily and coughing.

From The Wall Street Journal

There's this much reported case of a woman who suffered from convulsions after taking a medicine for diabetes which had a similar sounding name to an analgesic she had been prescribed.

From BBC

Related Words

• contraction
• cramp
• paroxysm
• seizure
• tremor