colic
/ˈkɒlɪk
/noun [mass noun]
Severe pain in the abdomen caused by wind or obstruction in the intestines and suffered especially by babies.The pain of renal colic is due to obstruction of urinary flow, with subsequent increasing wall tension in the urinary tract....
- People used to think that babies with colic were more likely to get asthma or allergies, but now doctors know that is not true.
- In the mid eighteenth century a severe illness called the Devonshire colic was traced to lead poisoning from the metal used to seal holes in mills and presses.
Derivatives
colicky
/ adjective ...- Patients complain of colicky abdominal pain, borborygmi and vomiting.
- Diverticulosis may be misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, because some of the symptoms such as colicky pain, are similar.
- Kidney stones may present in different ways, but the classic presentation is with acute loin to groin colicky pain associated with nausea and vomiting.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French colique, from late Latin colicus, from colon (see colon2).