Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2023 is: convalesce \kahn-vuh-LESS\ verb

To convalesce is to recover health and strength gradually after sickness, injury, or weakness.

// According to the article, the athlete is still convalescing from her recent injury but expects to resume her training schedule by the end of the month.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convalesce)

Examples:

"No complications occurred during the surgery or while the pope was convalescing in Gemelli's 10th-floor apartment reserved exclusively for hospitalization of pontiffs, according to the pope's medical staff." — Frances D'Emilio, The Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2023

Did you know?

When you convalesce, you heal or grow strong after illness or injury, often by staying off your feet. The related adjective [convalescent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convalescent) means "recovering from sickness or debility," and a [convalescent home](https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/convalescent%20home) is a hospital for long-term recuperation and rehabilitation. Convalesce comes from the Latin verb convalescere, which combines the prefix com-/con-, meaning "with, together, jointly," with the verb valescere, meaning "to grow strong." Valescere, in turn, is related to the verb valēre, meaning "to be strong or be well," which is also an ancestor of [prevail](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevail), [valor](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valor), [value](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/value), and [valid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valid).