convalescence
/ˌkɒnvəˈlesns/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɑːnvəˈlesns/ (ame, ipa)
convalescence — noun
1. the time spent slowly getting your strength back after a serious illness or an o
the time spent slowly getting your strength back after a serious illness or an operation, usually with plenty of rest.
Padma spent her convalescence at her grandmother's house by the sea, reading novels and walking on the beach.
spend + convalescence (collocation)
After heart surgery, the doctor warned Zola that her convalescence would last at least three months.
convalescence + duration (after operation)
During his long convalescence, Ari learned to paint with watercolours to pass the quiet afternoons.
The hospital sends some patients to a quiet country house for their convalescence after major surgery.
- recovery
everyday equivalent; covers both the time and the process, less formal
- recuperation
very close in meaning; both formal, but 'recuperation' often stresses building up energy
- relapse
becoming ill again during or after convalescence
文法句型
during/after a + convalescence
a long/slow/full convalescence
用法筆記
Formal and rather literary; in everyday speech most people say 'recovery' instead. Often appears with 'long', 'slow', 'full', 'period of'. Can be uncountable ('rest is the key to convalescence') or countable with an article ('a long convalescence').