tic douloureux

[ tik-doo-luh-roo; French teek doo-loo-rœ ]

/ ˈtɪk ˌdu ləˈru; French tik du luˈrœ /

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noun Pathology.

paroxysmal darting pain and muscular twitching in the face, evoked by rubbing certain points of the face.

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Also called facial neuralgia, trifacial neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia.

Origin of tic douloureux

1790–1800; <French: literally, painful tic

Words nearby tic douloureux

tibiotarsus, Tibullus, Tibur, tic, tical, tic douloureux, tichy, Ticino, tick, tick bird, tick-borne

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tic douloureux in a sentence

He reiterated the statements “I am not a politician” and “I am not a political advisor” so often that it seemed like a verbal tic.
Obamacare Architect: I Wanted to Sound Smart|Ben Jacobs|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was asked if he worried that a tic might someday cause him to drop a ball.
Why Tourette’s May Be Tim Howard’s Secret Weapon on the Field|Michael Daly|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2013, Der Spiegel pressed him on his condition: Der Spiegel: Has a ball ever slipped out of your hands because of a tic?
Team USA Lost, but Tim Howard Is a Winner|Emily Shire|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She seemed resolutely on message, quoting Ronald Reagan with such frequency that it almost bordered on being a verbal tic.
Tea Party Tests Its Might in Texas by Opposing Conservative Rep. Pete Sessions|Ben Jacobs|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It's a telling tic that we often use "urban" as a synonym for "black."
David's Bookclub: The Warmth of Other Suns|David Frum|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But never mind; I cal'late this p'tic'lar pup won't bite; I've pulled his teeth, I guess.
Cap'n Eri|Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Ornithoman′tic; Ornithoph′ilous, bird-fertilised; Or′nithopod, Ornithop′odous, having feet like a bird.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Periphras′tic, -al, containing or expressed by periphrasis or circumlocution.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Plethore′tic, Plethor′ic, -al, afflicted with plethora: superabundant: turgid.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Porismat′ic, -al; Poris′tic, -al, reducing a determinate problem to an indeterminate.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tic douloureux

tic douloureux

/ (ˈtɪk ˌduːləˈruː) /

noun

a condition of momentary stabbing pain along the trigeminal nerveAlso called: trigeminal neuralgia

Word Origin for tic douloureux

C19: from French, literally: painful tic

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