I. -ˌnerē noun
( -es )
Etymology: French convulsionnaire, from convulsion + -aire -ary
1. : one who has convulsions especially as a result of religious mania or ecstasy
2. usually capitalized : one of a body of Jansenist fanatics in France in the early 18th century who exhibited convulsions especially at the tomb of the Jansenist François de Paris in the cemetery of St.-Médard at Paris
II. adjective
Etymology: convulsion + -ary
1. : of, relating to, or resembling a convulsion
convulsionary struggles — Sir Walter Scott
2. usually capitalized : of or relating to the Convulsionaries