sciatica

[ sahy-at-i-kuh ]

nounPathology.
  1. pain and tenderness at some points of the sciatic nerve, usually caused by a prolapsed intervertebral disk; sciatic neuralgia.

  2. any painful disorder extending from the hip down the back of the thigh and surrounding area.

Origin of sciatica

1
1400–50; <Medieval Latin, noun use of feminine of sciaticussciatic

Words Nearby sciatica

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How to use sciatica in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sciatica

sciatica

/ (saɪˈætɪkə) /


noun
  1. a form of neuralgia characterized by intense pain and tenderness along the course of the body's longest nerve (sciatic nerve), extending from the back of the thigh down to the calf of the leg

Origin of sciatica

1
C15: from Late Latin sciatica; see sciatic

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

Cultural definitions for sciatica

sciatica

[ (seye-at-i-kuh) ]


Chronic pain in the hip and upper leg caused by irritation of a large nerve — the sciatic nerve — that runs through the pelvis and down the back of the thigh.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.