Saint Vitus's dance

or Saint Vi·tus' dance

[ vahy-tuh-siz ]

Words Nearby Saint Vitus's dance

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British Dictionary definitions for Saint Vitus's dance

Saint Vitus's dance

/ (ˈvaɪtəsɪz) /


nounusually abbreviated to: St Vitus's dance
  1. pathol a nontechnical name for Sydenham's chorea

Origin of Saint Vitus's dance

1
C17: so called because sufferers traditionally prayed to Saint Vitus (3rd-century child martyr) for relief and were said to be cured by a visit to his shrine

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