Tourette's syndrome

Or Tourette syndrome

[too-rets]

noun

Pathology.

1. a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent involuntary movements, including multiple neck jerks and sometimes vocal tics, as grunts, barks, or words, especially obscenities.

Tourette's syndrome

1. A neurological disorder characterized by multiple facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence and often accompanied by grunts and compulsive utterances, such as interjections or obscenities. It is named for its discoverer, French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tourette's syndrome¹

After Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857–1904), French neurologist, who described it in 1885

Example Sentences

An actor starring in a film about Tourette's syndrome said it was the "biggest challenge" of his career.

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Tourette's syndrome is an incurable condition that causes someone to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements, known as tics.

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John Davidson became the reluctant poster boy for Tourette's Syndrome when he was just 16 years old.

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Pete Bennett, the winner of the 2006 series of Big Brother, was a livewire personality who won over the public, also happened to have Tourette's syndrome.

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In 2023, Lewis Capaldi had to abandon his Glastonbury set, after Tourette's syndrome caused his vocal cords to seize up.

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