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St. Vitus's dance

or St. Vi·tus dance St. Vi·tus' dance Saint Vi·tus's dance

[vahy-tuh-siz]
noun Pathology.
  1. chorea(def 2).
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Origin of St. Vitus's dance

First recorded in 1955–60; named after St. Vitus (3rd century), patron saint of those afflicted with chorea

Saint Vitus's dance

or Saint Vi·tus' dance

[vahy-tuh-siz]
noun
  1. St. Vitus's dance.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for st. vitus's dance

Saint Vitus's dance

noun usually abbreviated to: St Vitus's dance
  1. pathol a nontechnical name for Sydenham's chorea
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Word Origin for 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
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