convalesce

[ kon-vuh-les ]
See synonyms for convalesce on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),con·va·lesced, con·va·lesc·ing.
  1. to recover health and strength after illness; make progress toward recovery of health.

Origin of convalesce

1
1475–85; <Latin convalēscere to grow fully strong, equivalent to con-con- + valēscere to grow strong (val(ēre) to be well + -escere-esce)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use convalesce in a sentence

  • He had a trifling illness in August, and as he convalesced, he grew impatient of the tenacious life which held him to earth.

    Venetian Life | William Dean Howells
  • But scarcely had they convalesced when Mr. Dinsmore fell ill of typhoid fever, though of a rather mild type.

    Elsie's Womanhood | Martha Finley
  • The child was strong before the dog was; but both convalesced rapidly and sweetly enough.

    Loveliness | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
  • (p. 294) They frequented his house on Sunday as he convalesced.

    The Beginners of a Nation | Edward Eggleston.
  • He had convalesced very fast, the wound not being as deep as at first supposed.

    Pretty Geraldine, the New York Salesgirl | Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller

British Dictionary definitions for convalesce

convalesce

/ (ˌkɒnvəˈlɛs) /


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

Origin of convalesce

1
C15: from Latin convalēscere, from com- (intensive) + valēscere to grow strong, from valēre to be strong

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012