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Saint Vitus's dance

American  
[vahy-tuh-siz] / ˈvaɪ tə sɪz /
Or Saint Vitus' dance

Saint Vitus's dance British  
/ ˈvaɪtəsɪz /

noun

  1. pathol a nontechnical name for Sydenham's chorea

"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 Saint Vitus's dance

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


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.

See Examples For:

Don’t come straggling into the office one morning muttering, “First, gout. Now ague, biliousness, lumbago, Saint Vitus’s dance and dropsy. What’s next, apoplexy?”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 16, 2019

"I believe it isn't uncommon for children to get well of Saint Vitus's dance," said Millard.

From The Faith Doctor A Story of New York by Edward Eggleston

Twitches, choræa, or Saint Vitus's dance, are not very usual, and may continue for months after every other symptom has subsided.

From The Dog by Dinks

Madame Marsy was bitten by that tarantula whose bite makes modern society move as if afflicted with Saint Vitus's dance.

From His Excellency the Minister by Henri Roberts

“Have you got Saint Vitus’s dance, Amy Drew?”

From The Campfire Girls on Station Island or, The Wireless from the Steam Yacht by Margaret Penrose

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