shock
1 (shŏk)
[French choc, from choquer, to collide with, from Old French chuquier, perhaps of Germanic origin.]
noun
- A violent collision or impact; a heavy blow. See synonyms at collision
- The effect of such a collision or blow.
- Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent unexpected blow.
- The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.
- A severe offense to one's sense of propriety or decency; an outrage.
- A potentially fatal physiological reaction to a variety of conditions, including illness, injury, hemorrhage, and dehydration, usually characterized by marked loss of blood pressure, diminished blood circulation, and inadequate blood flow to the tissues.
- The sensation and muscular spasm caused by an electric current passing through the body or a body part.
- A sudden economic disturbance, such as a rise in the price of a commodity.
- A shock absorber.
verb: shocked, shock·ing, shocks.
transitive verb
- To strike with great surprise and emotional disturbance.
- To strike with disgust; offend.
- To induce a state of physical shock in (a person).
- To subject (an animal or person) to an electric shock.
intransitive verb
- To come into contact violently, as in battle; collide.
shock
2 (shŏk)
[Middle English shok.]
noun
- A number of sheaves of grain stacked upright in a field for drying.
- A thick heavy mass: a shock of white hair.
transitive verb: shocked, shock·ing, shocks.
- To gather (grain) into shocks.
