sciatica

[ sahy-at-i-kuh ]

/ saɪˈæt ɪ kə /

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noun Pathology.

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

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

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Origin of sciatica

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

Words nearby sciatica

sciaenid, sciaenoid, sciage, sciamachy, sciatic, sciatica, sciatic foramen, sciatic hernia, sciatic nerve, sciatic spine, SCID

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sciatica in a sentence

Guaranteed to relieve or your money refunded, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Neuritis.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
He suffered a sharp twinge of sciatica and his face lent itself to astonishing contortions.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady|Lucas Malet
If he has sciatica, pleurisy or a gumboil, he can speak of his ailments and tell people what is the matter with him.
Nervous Breakdowns and How to Avoid Them|Charles David Musgrove
Major Mallison excused himself from the luncheon party on the score of sciatica, which being interpreted meant a sore heart.
Lady Cassandra|Mrs George de Horne Vaizey

Sciatica is a disease from which youth is comparatively exempt.
Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it|Francis E. Anstie

British Dictionary definitions for sciatica

sciatica

/ (saɪˈætɪkə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for sciatica

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

Medical definitions for sciatica

sciatica

[ sī-ăt′ĭ-kə ]

Pain along the sciatic nerve that radiates from the lower back to the buttocks and back of the thigh and is usually caused by a herniated disk of the lumbar region of the spine.

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.