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shocking

 [shok-ing]   Origin

shock·ing

   [shok-ing]
adjective
1.
causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc.
2.
very bad: shocking manners.
Origin:
1685–95; shock1 + -ing2

Related forms
shock·ing·ly, adverb
shock·ing·ness, noun
un·shock·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. staggering, astounding, startling, appalling.

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Shocking is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

shock

1   [shok]
noun
1.
a sudden and violent blow or impact; collision.
2.
a sudden or violent disturbance or commotion: the shock of battle.
3.
a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind, emotions, or sensibilities: The burglary was a shock to her sense of security. The book provided a shock, nothing more.
4.
the cause of such a disturbance: The rebuke came as a shock.
5.
Pathology. a collapse of circulatory function, caused by severe injury, blood loss, or disease, and characterized by pallor, sweating, weak pulse, and very low blood pressure. Compare anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock.
EXPAND
6.
the physiological effect produced by the passage of an electric current through the body.
7.
shocks, Informal. shock absorbers, especially in the suspension of an automobile.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
8.
to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.: He enjoyed shocking people.
9.
to strike against violently.
10.
to give an electric shock to.
verb (used without object)
11.
to undergo a shock.
Origin:
1555–65; < Middle French choc armed encounter, noun derivative of choquer to clash (in battle) < Germanic; compare Dutch schokken to shake, jolt, jerk

Related forms
shock·a·ble, adjective
shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
shock·ed·ness, noun
shock·like, adjective
un·shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun
EXPAND
un·shock·a·ble, adjective
COLLAPSE

Synonyms
8. stagger, astound, stupefy. Shock, startle, paralyze, stun suggest a sudden, sharp surprise that affects one somewhat like a blow. Shock suggests a strong blow, as it were, to one's nerves, sentiments, sense of decency, etc.: The onlookers were shocked by the accident. Startle implies the sharp surprise of sudden fright: to be startled by a loud noise. Paralyze implies such a complete shock as to render one temporarily helpless: paralyzed with fear. Stun implies such a shock as bewilders or stupefies: stunned by the realization of an unpleasant truth.

shock

2   [shok]
noun
1.
a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.
verb (used with object)
2.
to make into shocks.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English; cognate with Low German schok shock of grain, group of sixty, German Schock sixty

Related forms
shock·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To shocking
Collins
World English Dictionary
shocking (ˈʃɒkɪŋ)
 
—adj
1.  causing shock, horror, or disgust
2.  shocking pink a vivid or garish shade of pink
3.  informal very bad or terrible: shocking weather
 
'shockingly
 
—adv
 
'shockingness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shock
"thick mass of hair," 1819, from earlier shock (adj.) "having thick hair" (1681), and a noun sense of "lap dog having long, shaggy hair" (1638), from shough (1599), the name for this type of dog, which was said to have been brought originally from Iceland; the word is perhaps from
EXPAND
shock (2), or from an O.N. variant of shag.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

shock (shŏk)
n.

  1. Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent, unexpected blow.

  2. The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.

  3. A generally temporary massive physiological reaction to severe physical or emotional trauma, usually characterized by marked loss of blood pressure and depression of vital processes.

  4. The sensation and muscular spasm caused by an electric current passing through the body or a body part.

  5. The abnormally palpable impact of an accentuated heartbeat felt by a hand on the chest wall.

v.

  1. To induce a state of physical shock in a person.

  2. To subject a person to an electric shock.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
shock   (shŏk)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. An instance of the passage of an electric current through the body. The amount of injury caused by electric shock depends on the type and strength of the current, the length of time the current is applied, and the route the current takes once it enters the body.

  2. A life-threatening condition marked by a severe drop in blood pressure, resulting from serious injury or illness.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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