convel

English

Etymology

From Latin convellō. Doublet of convulse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈvɛl/

Verb

convel (third-person singular simple present convels, present participle convelling, simple past and past participle convelled)

1. (obsolete, medicine) To tear (tissue, a nerve, etc.), to convulse.
   • 1657, Jean de Renou, translated by Richard Tomlinson, A medicinal dispensatory, Medicinal Materials, Book 1, section 5, chapter 10, page 353:

     [Comfrey] is a vulnerary, and is much commended to disrupted, broken, bruised and convelled members.

   • 1678, John Browne, “Of Palsey”, in A compleat discourse of wounds, page 50:

     Choler, having allowed it a drying quality also, and having an acrimony joyned to it, may rather be allowed to create Convulsion, by contracting and convelling the Nerves.

2. (obsolete, chiefly Scotland) To completely rebut, to utterly reject.
   • 1628, Richard Field, Of the Church fiue bookes, Appendix, part 1, book 2, section 8, page 793:

     Let vs come to his last exception against Doctor Humphrey, which is that hee handleth the matter artificially, to make a credulous reader beleeue that Saint Augustine himselfe doth conuell the vse of prayer for the dead by those sentences of the Apostle.

   • 1683, James Dalrymple, Viscount of Stair, “The Laird of Milntoun contra the Lady of Milntoun, Eodem die [February 26, 1668]”, in The decisions of the Lords of Council & [Scotland Court of] Session in the most important cases […] from June 1661 to July 1681, page 537:

     The Pursuer answered, that he did not intend to Convel principally the intrinsick points of the Testimonies, but mainly to prove their partiality and corruption, and therewith also to prove their Testimonies were false, and impossible.

   • 1694, William Strachan, Some remarks upon a late pamphlet, entituled, An answer to the Scots Presbyterian eloquence […] , page 78:

     Modesty will not allow me to repeat them [sc. obscene passages], since they defile the Air, and needs must pollute the Eyes of Readers, and Ears of Hearers, and therefore to convel and [?] them, I shall only say this […]