colic

[kol-ik]Pathology, Veterinary Pathology

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR colic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

paroxysmal pain in the abdomen or bowels.

adjective

pertaining to or affecting the colon or the bowels.

Origin of colic

1400–50; late Middle English colike (< Middle French colique) < Latin colica (passiō) (suffering) of the colon < Greek kolikós, equivalent to kól(on) colon² + -ikos -ic

Related formscol·ick·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for colic

bellyache, gripe, pain, stomachache, enteralgia

Examples from the Web for colic

Contemporary Examples of colic

And in my first memory, I am a toddler kneading that taut skin, easing my colic into sleep.
On Yom Kippur, Remember My Palestinian Mother
Samer Badawi
September 10, 2013
But college is not like some sort of all-purpose herbal supplement that cures bunions and also colic; it teaches specific skills.
Sorry, Kids, No High School Diplomas Need Apply
Megan McArdle
February 20, 2013

Historical Examples of colic

And sometimes I have sharp pains in the stomach, as if I had the colic.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
The pain of colic is relieved by gentle pressure and gentle rubbing.
The Mother's Manual of Children's Diseases
Charles West, M.D.
He's as old as old what's-his-name who ate grass and died of a colic, in the Bible.
Melomaniacs
James Huneker
He had been fed with hot bread that he might suffer from colic.
History of the Moravian Church
J. E. Hutton
Tell him to give you something for colic—the result of vegetable poisoning.
Novel Notes
Jerome K. Jerome

British Dictionary definitions for colic

colic

noun

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

Word Origin for colic

C15: from Old French colique, from Late Latin cōlicus ill with colic, from Greek kōlon, variant of kolon colon ²

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

Word Origin and History for colic

"disease characterized by severe abdominal pain," early 15c., from Late Latin colicus "pertaining to colic," from Greek kolikos, belonging to the kolon "lower intestine" (see colon (n.2)). The word was used in English late 14c. as an adjective, "affecting the colon." Related: Colicky (1742).

colic in Medicine

colic

[kŏl′ĭk]

n.

Spasmodic pains in the abdomen.

Paroxysms of pain with crying and irritability in young infants, due to a variety of causes, such as swallowing air, emotional upset, or overfeeding.

adj.

Relating to the colon.

colic in Science

colic

[kŏl′ĭk]

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

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.