convulsion

What it means

1. medicineAn intense, paroxysmal, involuntary muscular contraction.

   1850-1859, Charles Dickens, Household Words That immortal creature had gone over the proofs with great pains — had of course taken out the stiflings — hard-plungings, lungeings, and other convulsions — and had also taken out her weakenings and damagings of her own effects.

2. An uncontrolled fit, as of laughter; a paroxysm.
3. Violent turmoil.

   Earthquakes and convulsions of nature shake Earth on a regular basis.

   2 more examples

   It would seem as if calm were necessary to convulsion; for the tranquillity of the last few months was again to be disturbed by political commotion.

   1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 97–98

   In a convulsion that has caught many in Brazil and beyond by surprise, waves of protesters denounced their leaders for dedicating so many resources to cultivating Brazil’s global image by building stadiums for international events, when basic services like education and health care remain woefully inadequate.

   2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013

In a sentence

1850-1859, Charles Dickens, Household Words That immortal creature had gone over the proofs with great pains — had of course taken out the stiflings — hard-plungings, lungeings, and other convulsions — and had also taken out her weakenings and damagings of her own effects.

Where it comes from

1. Latinconvulsiō
2. Englishconvulsion

From Latin convulsiō, from convellō.