Saint Vitus's dance
Americannoun
noun
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.
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
She is pale and emaciated; she has Saint Vitus's dance.
From Shallow Soil by Hyllested, Carl Christian
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
S. Saint Vitus's dance, 240. symptoms of, 241. treatment of, 242.
From The Dog by Dinks
"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 Eggleston, Edward
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.
