Shock Definition: A sudden and disturbing impression on the mind. Related Terms: Nervous Shock In Falkenberg, the Court adopted these words to define shock:"A sudden and disturbing impression on the mind or feelings; usually, one produced by some unwelcome occurrence or perception, by pain, grief, or violent emotion...."(Also a) term in medicine, i.e. a technical term ... a condition whose principal characteristic is low blood volume.... Loss of blood volume is an important but not the only cause of shock; a similar state of shock occurs in acute heart failure and in severe infections in which the responsible haemodynamic mechanisms are different." REFERENCES:R. v. Falkenberg, 95 C.C.C. (3d) 307 (Alberta Court of Appeal, 1995) Categories & Topics: Medical-Legal Dictionary Tort and Personal Injury Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!