English
convalesce
Convalesce comes from Latin convalēscere, from valēscere ‘to become strong’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂wl̥h₁éh₁yeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*walēō1‘to be strong’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvaleō2as valēre, inchoative‘to be strong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvalēscere2‘to become strong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvalēscere2
- Englishtodayconvalesce2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin valeo
- 2 Wiktionary, English convalesce
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-Wiktionary, Latin valeoreconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂wl̥h₁éh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin valeoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*walēōWiktionary, Latin valeo‘to be strong’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvaleōWiktionary, English convalesceas valēre, inchoative‘to be strong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvalēscereWiktionary, English convalesce‘to become strong’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvalēscereWiktionary, English convalesce
- EnglishtodayconvalesceWiktionary, English convalesce
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-
wild, wool, velvet, validation, wield, fluff, flannel, validate, valiant, cuckold, velour, lanolin, woll, valorous, 36 more
through Proto-Italic *walēō ‘to be strong’
value, validity, invalid, ambivalent, ambivalence, valence, 13 more
through Latin valeō ‘to be strong’
equivalent, valid, avail, valuation, vale, vail, valour, 18 more
Today it means
verb To recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “convalesce”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin valeo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- / convalesce