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View synonyms for tic

tic

1

[ tik ]

noun

  1. Pathology.
    1. a sudden, spasmodic, painless, involuntary muscular contraction, as of the face.
  2. a persistent or recurrent behavioral trait; personal quirk:

    her distinctive verbal tics.



-tic

2
  1. a suffix, equivalent in meaning to -ic, occurring in adjectives of Greek origin ( analytic ), used especially in the formation of adjectives from nouns with stems in -sis: hematotic; neurotic.

tic

/ tɪk /

noun

  1. spasmodic twitching of a particular group of muscles


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Word History and Origins

Origin of tic1

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French (of expressive origin)

Origin of tic2

< Greek -tikos, extracted from adjectives derived with -ikos -ic from agent nouns ending in -tēs; hieratic

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tic1

C19: from French, of uncertain origin; compare Italian ticche

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