Dictionary.com
definitions

St. Vitus's dance

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

[vahy-tuh-siz]

noun Pathology.

chorea(def 2).

RELATED CONTENT

default dance
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
dance with the devil
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

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

St. Vitus's dance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for st. vitus's dance

Saint Vitus's dance

noun usually abbreviated to: St Vitus's dance

pathol a nontechnical name for Sydenham's chorea

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