shock1

[shok] /ʃɒk/
noun
1.
a sudden and violent blow or impact; collision.
2.
a sudden or violent disturbance or commotion:
the shock of battle.
3.
a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind, emotions, or sensibilities:
The burglary was a shock to her sense of security. The book provided a shock, nothing more.
4.
the cause of such a disturbance:
The rebuke came as a shock.
5.
Pathology. a collapse of circulatory function, caused by severe injury, blood loss, or disease, and characterized by pallor, sweating, weak pulse, and very low blood pressure.
Compare anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock.
6.
the physiological effect produced by the passage of an electric current through the body.
7.
shocks, Informal. shock absorbers, especially in the suspension of an automobile.
verb (used with object)
8.
to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.:
He enjoyed shocking people.
9.
to strike against violently.
10.
to give an electric shock to.
verb (used without object)
11.
to undergo a shock.
Origin
1555-65; < Middle French choc armed encounter, noun derivative of choquer to clash (in battle) < Germanic; compare Dutch schokken to shake, jolt, jerk
Related forms
shockable, adjective
shockability, noun
shockedness, noun
shocklike, adjective
unshockability, noun
unshockable, adjective
Synonyms
8. stagger, astound, stupefy. Shock, startle, paralyze, stun suggest a sudden, sharp surprise that affects one somewhat like a blow. Shock suggests a strong blow, as it were, to one's nerves, sentiments, sense of decency, etc.: The onlookers were shocked by the accident. Startle implies the sharp surprise of sudden fright: to be startled by a loud noise. Paralyze implies such a complete shock as to render one temporarily helpless: paralyzed with fear. Stun implies such a shock as bewilders or stupefies: stunned by the realization of an unpleasant truth.

shock2

[shok] /ʃɒk/
noun
1.
a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.
verb (used with object)
2.
to make into shocks.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English; cognate with Low German schok shock of grain, group of sixty, German Schock sixty
Related forms
shocker, noun

shock3

[shok] /ʃɒk/
noun
1.
a thick, bushy mass, as of hair.
2.
Also, shock dog. a dog with long, shaggy hair.
adjective
3.
shaggy, as hair.
Origin
1810-20; special use of shock2, the hair being compared to a shock of wheat
Examples from the web for shock
  • shock is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is not getting enough blood flow.
  • The sticker shock could also become a factor at the ballot box.
  • Painful though it is, this oil shock will eventually spur huge change.
  • The shock of an electric eel has been known to knock a horse off its feet.
  • Protective heat shock proteins present in every cell have long been known to counteract stress.
  • But what can be seen above ground is the archaeological equivalent of shock and awe.
  • To minimize shock when planting, cut off container bottom and set both plant and container in planting hole.
  • Images of a human heart showing increased blood flow after treatment with shock wave therapy.
  • They might cause unpleasant upper respiratory irritations, but they will not send anyone into anaphylactic shock.
  • En route to dinner, it received a pleasurable electric shock.
British Dictionary definitions for shock

shock1

/ʃɒk/
verb
1.
to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise, etc: the atrocities shocked us, she shocks easily
2.
to cause a state of shock in (a person)
3.
to come or cause to come into violent contact; jar
noun
4.
a sudden and violent jarring blow or impact
5.
something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotions: the shock of her father's death made her ill
6.
(pathol) a state of bodily collapse or near collapse caused by circulatory failure or sudden lowering of the blood pressure, as from severe bleeding, burns, fright, etc
7.
(pathol) pain and muscular spasm as the physical reaction to an electric current passing through the body
Derived Forms
shockable, adjective
shockability, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Old French choc, from choquier to make violent contact with, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German schoc

shock2

/ʃɒk/
noun
1.
a number of sheaves set on end in a field to dry
2.
a pile or stack of unthreshed corn
verb
3.
(transitive) to set up (sheaves) in shocks
Word Origin
C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schok shock of corn, group of sixty

shock3

/ʃɒk/
noun
1.
a thick bushy mass, esp of hair
adjective
2.
(rare) bushy; shaggy
Word Origin
C19: perhaps from shock²
Word Origin and History for shock
n.

1560s, "violent encounter of armed forces or a pair of warriors," a military term, from Middle French choc "violent attack," from Old French choquer "strike against," probably from Frankish, from a Proto-Germanic imitative base (cf. Middle Dutch schokken "to push, jolt," Old High German scoc "jolt, swing").

Meaning "a sudden blow" is from 1610s; meaning "a sudden and disturbing impression on the mind" is from 1705. Sense of "feeling of being (mentally) shocked" is from 1876. Medical sense is attested from 1804 (it also once meant "seizure, stroke," 1794). Shock-absorber is attested from 1906 (short form shocks attested by 1961); shock wave is from 1907. Shock troops (1917) translates German stoßtruppen and preserves the word's original military sense. Shock therapy is from 1917; shock treatment from 1938.

"bundle of grain," early 14c., from Middle Low German schok "shock of corn," originally "group of sixty," from Proto-Germanic *skukka- (cf. Old Saxon skok, Dutch schok "sixty pieces; shock of corn;" German schock "sixty," Hocke "heap of sheaves"). In 16c.-17c. English the word sometimes meant "60-piece lot," from trade with the Dutch.

"thick mass of hair," 1819, from earlier shock (adj.) "having thick hair" (1680s), and a noun sense of "lap dog having long, shaggy hair" (1630s), from shough (1590s), the name for this type of dog, which was said to have been brought originally from Iceland; the word is perhaps from the source of shock (n.2), or from an Old Norse variant of shag (n.). Shock-headed Peter was used in 19c. translations for German Struwwelpeter.

v.

"to come into violent contact, strike against suddenly and violently," 1570s, now archaic or obsolete, from shock (n.1). Meaning "to give (something) an electric shock" is from 1746; sense of "to offend, displease" is first recorded 1690s.

"arrange (grain) in a shock," mid-15c., from shock (n.2). Related: Shocked; shocking.

shock in Medicine

shock (shŏk)
n.

  1. Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent, unexpected blow.

  2. The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.

  3. A generally temporary massive physiological reaction to severe physical or emotional trauma, usually characterized by marked loss of blood pressure and depression of vital processes.

  4. The sensation and muscular spasm caused by an electric current passing through the body or a body part.

  5. The abnormally palpable impact of an accentuated heartbeat felt by a hand on the chest wall.

v.

  1. To induce a state of physical shock in a person.

  2. To subject a person to an electric shock.

shock in Science
shock
  (shŏk)   

  1. An instance of the passage of an electric current through the body. The amount of injury caused by electric shock depends on the type and strength of the current, the length of time the current is applied, and the route the current takes once it enters the body.

  2. A life-threatening condition marked by a severe drop in blood pressure, resulting from serious injury or illness.


Idioms and Phrases with shock

shock

see: culture shock