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sciatic

American  
[sahy-at-ik] / saɪˈæt ɪk /

adjective

Anatomy.
  1. of, pertaining to, situated near, or affecting the ischium or back of the hip.

  2. affecting the hip or the sciatic nerves.


noun

  1. a sciatic part, as a nerve, vein, or artery.

sciatic British  
/ saɪˈætɪk /

adjective

  1. anatomy of or relating to the hip or the hipbone

  2. of, relating to, or afflicted with sciatica

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of sciatic

1535–45; < Medieval Latin sciaticus, alteration of Greek ischiadikós ischiadic ( def. )

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:

A large wallet can tilt your pelvis and compress your sciatic nerve.

From Science Daily Dec. 15, 2025

Sciatica is pain or numbness that follows the path of the sciatic nerve from the lower back down the leg.

From Barron's Oct. 9, 2025

Back pain is a typical symptom, but the pain can spread all the way down the legs and to the feet if one of the sciatic nerves is involved.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 11, 2024

VA doctors told him they didn’t want to risk surgery to remove the shrapnel because it was too close to his sciatic nerve.

From Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2023

He used an electric current to stimulate an amphibian’s calf, then employed the galvanometer to measure how long it took the electrical current to run along the sciatic nerve.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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