St. Vitus's dance

Also St. Vi·tus dance

[seynt vahy-tuh-siz dans]

noun

Pathology.

1. chorea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of St. Vitus's dance¹

First recorded in 1620–30; named after St. Vitus (3rd century), patron saint of those who have chorea

Example Sentences

They were not only purported to treat the symptoms of an impressive array of conditions — including rheumatism, leprosy, eczema, acne, gout, insomnia, constipation, opium craving, barrenness, night sweats, dropsy, dyspepsia, diabetes, St. Vitus’s Dance, herpes, bronchitis, paralysis and insanity — but capable of elevating our souls.

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“I would have to have St. Vitus’s Dance to weave a word like that into my web.”

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St. Vitus’s Dance is a neurological disorder, also known as Sydenham Chorea, associated with an uncontrollable jerking of the feet, hands and face.

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The strain of the past few days had seriously affected his health; he was suffering from a kind of St. Vitus's dance.

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Brückmann, and Hufeland relate cases of St. Vitus’s dance, cured by music, which, according to Desessarts, also relieved Catalepsy.

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