convalescent means recovering one's health and strength after a period of illness; on the mend. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
convalescent is pronounced /ˌkɒnvəˈlɛsənt/.
Why “convalescent” is a great word
CONVALESCENT — [Adjective, Noun] Recovering health and strength after illness; a person in such a state. From the French convalescent, from Latin convalēscēns, present participle of convalēscere ("to become strong or well"), from com- ("together, thoroughly") + valēscere ("to grow strong"). First attested in English in the 1650s. Unlike "recuperating," which implies active effort, or "infirm," which describes settled weakness, convalescent captures the fragile, passive interim. It is the aqueous light of a winter afternoon falling across a quilt, the novel taste of plain buttered toast, and the tentative first step down a hallway on legs that feel borrowed—the quiet, piece-by-piece work of a body reassembling itself back into the world.
adj
- recovering one's health and strength after a period of illness; on the mend.“So soon as Lady Anne was pronounced convalescent by the medical men, she insisted on discharging "that odious woman," the nurse,...”
- of convalescence or convalescents“She stayed in a convalescent hospital for two weeks before returning home.”
noun
- A person recovering from illness.“I had been ill in health, but am now a convalescent.”