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Synonyms

formication

American  
[fawr-mi-key-shuhn] / ˌfɔr mɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. a tactile hallucination involving the belief that something is crawling on the body or under the skin.

formication British  
/ ˌfɔːmɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

  1. a sensation of insects crawling on the skin; symptom of a nerve disorder

"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

Etymology

Origin of formication

1700–10; < Latin (Pliny) formīcātiōn-, stem of formīcātiō a sensation that ants are crawling on one's skin, equivalent to formicā ( re ) to have such a sensation (verbal derivative of formīca ant) + -tiōn- -tion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Formication, radiating pains, and neuralgia are present in the area of distribution of the nerves implicated.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.