tic douloureux

American

[tik doo-luh-roo, teek doo-loo-rœ] / ˈtɪk ˌdu ləˈru, tik du luˈrœ /

noun

Pathology.

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

tic douloureux British

/ ˈtɪk ˌduːləˈruː /

noun

Also called: trigeminal neuralgia. a condition of momentary stabbing pain along the trigeminal nerve

"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

Etymology

Origin of tic douloureux

1790–1800; < French: literally, painful tic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Both the medicine and the letter were referred to Dr. Pemberton, of Great George-street, Hanover-square, who used to attend her majesty, but had been obliged to give up practice from suffering with the "tic douloureux."

From Project Gutenberg

The baroness had "tic douloureux" which kept her at home,--and which no one regretted.

From Project Gutenberg

I was speaking, at first, of tic douloureux.

From Project Gutenberg

The disease was tic douloureux, which was relieved by Dr. M. 229.

From Project Gutenberg

And oh, she did hope her mother wouldn't have tic douloureux and wear shawls over her head.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023