Shock is a sudden, intense surprise or disturbance that strongly affects your mind or body. In medicine, it can mean a dangerous condition where the body’s organs aren’t getting enough blood.
“Shock” entered English in the 1500s from Middle French “choc,” meaning a blow or collision. It ultimately goes back to a Germanic root about striking or jarring. The sense expanded from a physical impact to emotional and medical impacts.
One word covers both being stunned by bad news and a life-threatening medical crisis. That’s because both involve a system—your mind or your body—getting hit so hard it can’t work normally. Think of shock as a ‘system overload’ word.
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