migraine

[ mahy-greyn or, British, mee- ]
See synonyms for migraine on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an extremely severe paroxysmal headache, usually confined to one side of the head and often associated with nausea; hemicrania.

Origin of migraine

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin hēmicrānia hemicrania; cf. megrim

Other words from migraine

  • mi·grain·oid, adjective
  • mi·grain·ous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use migraine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for migraine

migraine

/ (ˈmiːɡreɪn, ˈmaɪ-) /


noun
  1. a throbbing headache usually affecting only one side of the head and commonly accompanied by nausea and visual disturbances

Origin of migraine

1
C18: (earlier form, C14 mygrame megrim 1): from French, from Late Latin hēmicrānia pain in half of the head, from Greek hēmikrania, from hemi- + kranion cranium

Derived forms of migraine

  • migrainous, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for migraine

migraine

[ grān′ ]


  1. A severe recurring headache, usually affecting only one side of the head, that is characterized by sharp, throbbing pain and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances. Vasodilation in the brain causes inflammation that results in pain, but the exact cause of migraine is unknown.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.