convalesce
verb
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When you convalesce, you heal or grow strong after illness or injury, often by staying off your feet. The related adjective convalescent means "recovering from sickness or debility," and a convalescent home is a hospital for long-term recuperation and rehabilitation. Convalesce comes from the Latin verb convalescere, which combines the prefix com-/con-, meaning "with, together, jointly," with the verb valescere, meaning "to grow strong." Valescere, in turn, is related to the verb valēre, meaning "to be strong or be well," which is also an ancestor of prevail, valor, value, and valid.
Synonyms
Examples of convalesce in a Sentence
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
If All-Pro voting was limited to the season’s second half, both players might get selected, Stafford as surgical as he’s been at any point in his career since convalescing from a Week 8 injury to his throwing thumb.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024
Catherine will be hospitalized for 10 to 14 days, according to the couple’s office in Kensington Palace, and will convalesce for two to three months after that.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2024
Cinderella underwent a successful operation at VCA Lakewood Hospital and convalesced at a volunteer’s home for a month.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023
The whodunit sees an older, high-powered businesswoman, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter and granddaughter.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2023
There’s Lana, a real-estate baron who’d rather be in Los Angeles but is convalescing from cancer treatment at her daughter Beth’s home.
—Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2023
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Feinstein, who had been convalescing in the Bay Area since mid-February, boarded a charter private plane Tuesday to return to the Senate.
—Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023
Afterward, while convalescing at a London hospital, Mr. Grasso briefly met up with his brother Frederick, who was passing through on his way to the front lines.
—Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convalesce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Convalesce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convalesce. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
convalesce
verb
Medical Definition
convalesce
intransitive verb
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