Etymograph

English

convulsive

Convulsive comes from Latin convulsiō ‘convulsion’, from vellō ‘to pull or tear down’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- ‘to hit, to strike’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welh₃-‘to hit, to strike’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wl̥néh₃tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*welnō‘to pull, tear’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvellō‘to pull or tear down’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvellō‘to shatter, batter, convulse’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvulsiōas convulsiōnem‘convulsion’perfect passive participle of convellō
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentconvulsion
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentconvulsif
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1837convulsive

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welh₃-‘to hit, to strike’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wl̥néh₃tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*welnō‘to pull, tear’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvellō‘to pull or tear down’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvellō‘to shatter, batter, convulse’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvulsiōas convulsiōnem‘convulsion’perfect passive participle of convellō
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentconvulsion
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentconvulsif
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1837convulsive

Earliest quotation: 1837, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, A First Night: “He scarcely appeared to heed what was doing on…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- ‘to hit, to strike’

vulnerable, invulnerability, 22 more

through Latin vellō ‘to pull or tear down’

pull, 9 more

Today it means

adj Marked by or having the nature of convulsions.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- / convulsive

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