Colic Meaning
/ˈkɒl.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSevere pains that grip the abdomen or the disease that causes such pains (due to intestinal or bowel-related problems).
nounSevere fussiness and crying, especially of infants with certain medical conditions.
Sentence Examples
The baby had colic.
I have colic pain in my side.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The crying infant was diagnosed with severe ____ after refusing to eat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The baby cried for hours because of a painful ____.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French colique. Ultimately derived from Ancient Greek κωλικός (kōlikós, “suffering in the colon”, adjective).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Diſeaſed nature oftentimes breakes forth, / In ſtrange eruptions, oft the teeming earth / Is with a kind of collicke pincht and vext, / By the impriſoning of vnruly wind / Within her vvombe, vvhich for enlargement ſtriuing / Shakes the old Beldame earth, and topples down / Steeples and moſſegrovvn towers."
— c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The crying infant was diagnosed with severe ____ after refusing to eat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The baby cried for hours because of a painful ____.