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re·vul·sion

(rĭ-vŭlshən)

1. A sudden strong change or reaction in feeling, especially a feeling of violent disgust or loathing.

2. Archaic A withdrawing or turning away from something.

3. Medicine The reduction of superficial inflammation in an affected body part, as by topical agents, in order to decrease inflammation in adjacent structures.

[Latin revulsiō, revulsiōn-, from revulsus, past participle of revellere, to tear back : re-, re- + vellere, to tear.]

re·vulsive adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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