ictus

[ik-tuhs]

noun

plural

ictuses, ictus 

1. Prosody.,  rhythmical or metrical stress.

2. Pathology.

   1. an epileptic seizure.

   2. a stroke, especially a cerebrovascular accident.

ictus

/ ˈɪktəs /

noun

1. prosody metrical or rhythmic stress in verse feet, as contrasted with the stress accent on words

2. med a sudden attack or stroke

Other Word Forms

• ictic adjective
• ictal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ictus¹

1700–10; < Latin: stroke, thrust, equivalent to īc ( ere ) to strike with a weapon + -tus suffix of v. action

Word History and Origins

Origin of ictus¹

C18: from Latin icere to strike