— jolter , n. — joltingly , adv. — joltless , adj.
/johlt/ , v.t.
1. to jar, shake, or cause to move by or as if by a sudden rough thrust; shake up roughly: The bus jolted its passengers as it went down the rocky road.
2. to knock sharply so as to dislodge: He jolted the nail free with a stone.
3. to stun with a blow, esp. in boxing.
4. to shock emotionally or psychologically: His sudden death jolted us all.
5. to bring to a desired state sharply or abruptly: to jolt a person into awareness.
6. to make active or alert, as by using an abrupt, sharp, or rough manner: to jolt someone's memory.
7. to interfere with or intrude upon, esp. in a rough or crude manner; interrupt disturbingly.
v.i.
8. to move with a sharp jerk or a series of sharp jerks: The car jolted to a halt.
n.
9. a jolting shock, movement, or blow: The automobile gave a sudden jolt.
10. an emotional or psychological shock: The news of his arrest gave me quite a jolt.
11. something that causes such a shock: The news was a jolt to me.
12. a sudden, unexpected rejection or defeat: Their policy got a rude jolt from the widespread opposition.
13. Slang. a prison sentence.
14. Slang. an injection of a narcotic.
15. a bracing dose of something: a jolt of whiskey; a jolt of fresh air.
[ 1590-1600; b. jot to jolt and joll to bump, both now dial. ]