convulsion
noun
[ kənˈvʌlʃ(ə)n ]
• a sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body, caused by involuntary contraction of muscles and associated especially with brain disorders such as epilepsy, the presence of certain toxins or other agents in the blood, or fever in children.
• "toxic side effects like convulsions"
• a violent social or political upheaval.
• "the convulsions of 1939–45"
Similar:
upheaval,
eruption,
turmoil,
turbulence,
disruption,
agitation,
disturbance,
unrest,
disorder,
furore,
upset,
tumult,
chaos,
earthquake,
cataclysm,
storm,
Sturm und Drang,
Origin:
mid 16th century (originally in the sense ‘cramp, spasm’): from Latin convulsio(n- ), from the verb convellere (see convulse).
