colic

American  

[kol-ik] / ˈkɒl ɪk /

noun

colics plural

1. Also called infantile colic.  Also called infant colic.  Pathology. a common, temporary condition in which a baby who is otherwise healthy cries repeatedly, excessively, and inconsolably, without apparent cause.

   To help create more awareness about colic, the doctors are writing a book for parents with fussy babies.

2. Pathology, Veterinary Pathology. paroxysmal pain in the abdomen or bowels.

   If a gallstone blocks one of the bile ducts, it can cause sudden, severe abdominal pain, known as biliary colic.

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adjective

Anatomy.

1. relating to or affecting the colon or the bowels.

   Colorectal cancer surgeons must have a good understanding of how colic arteries can differ among people.

colic British  

/ ˈkɒlɪk /

noun

1. a condition characterized by acute spasmodic abdominal pain, esp that caused by inflammation, distention, etc, of the gastrointestinal tract

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colic Scientific  

/ kŏl′ĭk /

1. Severe abdominal pain, often caused by spasm, obstruction, or distention of any of the hollow viscera, such as the intestines.

2. A condition seen in infants less than three months old, marked by periods of inconsolable crying lasting for hours at a time for at least three weeks. The cause is unknown.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• colicky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colic

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English colike, from Middle French colique, Latin colica (passiō) “colonic (suffering),” from Greek kolikós “of the colon,” from kól(on) colon ² + -ikos -ic; cf. colonic ( def. )

Explanation

When babies have colic, they fuss a lot, as though they are in pain, but for no known reason. It's called colic because that's the word for stomach or intestinal pain, and that's what doctors used to assume it was. A baby is usually diagnosed with colic if they cry for more than three hours a day, three days a week, for three weeks or more. It usually starts when they're only a few weeks old, and fortunately, it usually resolves on its own by the time they reach three or four months old. In horses, on the other hand, colic is a very serious symptom that could be life-threatening due to intestinal twisting or blockage. In humans, colic is abdominal or intestinal pain, especially when caused by kidney stones or gall stones.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colic colics

Former Grand National winner Noble Yeats has died aged 11 following a bout of colic.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Children of mothers with untreated depression had a higher risk of developing digestive conditions, including nausea and vomiting, functional constipation, colic, and irritable bowel syndrome.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 17, 2026

Eli was experiencing life-threatening colic, the agency said on X. Station 18 stepped in when the mule’s owners were unable to get him to stand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025

The neighbor who tries to one-up your saga of seizures with a story about her son’s colic.

From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2024

It could cure burns, sores, piles, colic in babies, bleeding dysentery and even rheumatism.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

My daughter had colics and my husband and I worked it out without any of these ridicules expensive whatever they are....

From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2018

Recurring colics of the type of impaction colic, but more severe, may lead one to suspect the existence of this condition.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.

These seeds are recommended as a carminative, in flatulent colics proceeding from a cold cause or a viscidity of the juices.

From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by Salisbury, William

As they marched through the heat and dust of that June day, many succumbed to the temptations and paid for their appetites with inordinately violent colics that night.

From "And they thought we wouldn't fight" by Gibbons, Floyd

The father, during many years, was paralytic; the mother, for a long time, was subject to colics and bilious obstructions.

From A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons Exhibiting the Fraudulent Sophistications of Bread, Beer, Wine, Spiritous Liquors, Tea, Coffee, Cream, Confectionery, Vinegar, Mustard, Pepper, Cheese, Olive Oil, Pickles, and Other Articles Employed in Domestic Economy by Accum, Friedrich Christian