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shock

Pronunciation: /ʃɒk/

The English word “shock” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A sudden, heavy impact.
  2. Something so surprising that it is stunning.
  3. A sudden or violent emotional disturbance.
  4. An experience that leaves someone shaken; a very surprising, exhilarating or amazing experience.
  5. Electric shock, a sudden burst of electrical energy hitting a person or animal.
  6. The stimulation of nerves and convulsive contraction of muscles caused by electrical current flowing through a body.
  7. A state of distress following a mental or emotional disturbance, often caused by news or other stimuli.
  8. Circulatory shock, a medical emergency characterized by the inability of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygen to meet tissue requirements.
  9. A shock wave.
  10. A shock absorber (typically in the suspension of a vehicle).
  11. A discontinuity arising in the solution of a partial differential equation.
  12. A chemical added to a swimming pool to moderate the chlorine levels.

adjective

  1. Causing intense surprise, horror, etc.; unexpected and shocking.

verb

  1. To cause to be emotionally shocked; to cause (someone) to feel greatly surprised or upset.
  2. To strike with disgust, to offend, scandalize.
  3. To give an electric shock to.
  4. To subject to a shock wave or violent impact.
  5. To meet with a shock; to collide in a violent encounter.
  6. To cook something very briefly in a hot liquid, then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking process.
  7. To add a chemical to (a swimming pool) to moderate the chlorine levels.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake. Cognate with…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.