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Synonyms

migraine

American  
[mahy-greyn, mee-] / ˈmaɪ greɪn, ˈmi- /

noun

  1. an extremely severe paroxysmal headache, usually confined to one side of the head and often associated with nausea; hemicrania.

migraine British  
/ ˈmaɪ-, ˈmiːɡreɪn /

noun

  1. a throbbing headache usually affecting only one side of the head and commonly accompanied by nausea and visual disturbances

"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
migraine Scientific  
/ mī′grān′ /

  1. A severe recurring headache, usually affecting only one side of the head, that is characterized by sharp, throbbing pain and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances. Vasodilation in the brain causes inflammation that results in pain, but the exact cause of migraine is unknown.

Other Word Forms

  • migrainoid adjective
  • migrainous adjective

Etymology

Origin of migraine

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin hēmicrānia hemicrania; megrim

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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.