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 had been lying down for hours in his stall yesterday in Trabuco Canyon, unable to stand and suffering from painful colic that would have been fatal if he remained down too long.

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

He couldn’t stand by and watch a horse colic or a cow labor with a breech calf even though it meant personal ruin.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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

When the active cause has been irritant plants, abdominal tenderness, colics, and other signs of bowel inflammation are marked features.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry

"Ah, that's a dirty business—fever, vomiting, colics; old man, I was ill with that lot!"

From Under Fire: the story of a squad by Fitzwater Wray

Among them there is never gout in the hands or feet, nor catarrh, nor sciatica, nor grievous colics, nor flatulency, nor hard breathing.

From The City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella

It comforts the stomach and strengthens the bowels, preventing all colics and fluxes.

From Choice Specimens of American Literature, and Literary Reader Being Selections from the Chief American Writers by Benj. N. Martin