the.com/convalescent

means Recovering from illness or injury — past the danger, not yet back to full strength.

from From Latin convalescere, 'to grow strong' — con- (intensive prefix) plus valescere, 'to become strong,' itself rooted in valere, 'to be strong or well' (the same root that gives us 'valid' and 'value'). So the word has always meant strength returning in stages, not all at once — which is exactly why the soup stage can be milked so convincingly.