1. plural of galvanism; the production of electric current by chemical action, or the therapeutic use of electric current on the body
Usage: historical/scientific; often used in medical contexts from the 18th–19th centuries
2. plural of galvanism; stimulating or energizing effects, as if by electric shock
Usage: figurative

Examples

• Early physicians experimented with various galvanisms to treat paralysis.
• The galvanisms produced by the battery were carefully measured in the laboratory.
• The speech had the galvanisms of a rousing call to action.
• Scientists in the 1800s debated the mechanisms of galvanisms in living tissue.
• The galvanisms applied to the patient's muscles caused visible contractions.