sciatica

[ sahy-at-i-kuh ]

/ saɪˈæt ɪ kə /

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.

Nearby words

sciatic, sciatic foramen, sciatic hernia, sciatic nerve, sciatic spine, sciatica, scid, science, science dictionary, science fiction, science museum

Origin of sciatica

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sciatica

She had three genuine complaints--rheumatism, sciatica, and neuritis; they were all painful.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Lumbo-abdominal neuralgia and sciatica have yielded much more readily than brachial or dorso-intercostal neuralgia, etc., etc.
The Electric Bath|George M. Schweig
Mrs. Shelton had taken up her stand with one foot on the fender, in spite of her sciatica.
The Island Pharisees|John Galsworthy
Pains, erroneously ascribed to rheumatism or sciatica, are often due to faulty posture.
How to Live|Irving Fisher and Eugene Fisk

I read up in my medical book, Jim, later, when the sciatica took me.
A Man to His Mate|J. Allan Dunn

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

Word Origin and History for sciatica

sciatica

late 14c., from Medieval Latin sciatica, in sciatica passio "sciatic disease," fem. of sciaticus "sciatic," corruption of Latin ischiadicus "of pain in the hip," from Greek iskhiadikos, from iskhias (genitive iskhiados) "pain in the hips," from iskhion "hip joint."

Medicine definitions for sciatica

sciatica

[ sī-ăt′ĭ-kə ]

n.

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.

Culture 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.