tic

¹

[tik]

noun

1. Pathology.

   1. a sudden, spasmodic, painless, involuntary muscular contraction, as of the face.

   2. tic douloureux.

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

2. See tic douloureux

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tic¹

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

Example Sentences

He studied their individual tics and mannerisms to find the things that people across the world might only note subconsciously, and wove them into his caricatures.

From Salon

“She got my tics, she does my snort-laugh, all of the little things that make you a person like a fully dimensional person,” Knox says during an interview at the show’s New York press day.

From Los Angeles Times

Kennedy mentioned diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, seizure disorders, ADHD, speech delay, language delay, tics, Tourette syndrome, narcolepsy, peanut allergies and eczema.

From Salon

Only 7 herself at the time of filming, she has none of those trite child-actor tics like over-mannered naivete or phony cheek.

From Los Angeles Times

Lewis, displaying none of the physical tics that plagued him two years ago, was in fine form.

From BBC

Related Words

• twitch