Why this word is great
CONVALESCE — [Verb] To recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness. From Latin convalēscere, from con- (intensive prefix) + valēscere ("to become strong"), inchoative of valēre ("to be strong"). Unlike "recover" (which suggests a swift return to normalcy) or "recuperate" (which can apply to abstract losses), "convalesce" is the quiet, deliberate act of mending the body—a process as much about time as it is about care. It is the pale light of morning filtering through hospital blinds, the slow ritual of spooning broth to lips, the measured footsteps of a patient pacing the garden path, testing newfound strength like a sapling in uncertain soil. To convalesce is to relearn the body, to trust it again, though it has betrayed you once.