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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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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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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Example Sentences

He reiterated the statements “I am not a politician” and “I am not a political advisor” so often that it seemed like a verbal tic.

He was asked if he worried that a tic might someday cause him to drop a ball.

In 2013, Der Spiegel pressed him on his condition: Der Spiegel: Has a ball ever slipped out of your hands because of a tic?

She seemed resolutely on message, quoting Ronald Reagan with such frequency that it almost bordered on being a verbal tic.

It's a telling tic that we often use "urban" as a synonym for "black."

But never mind; I cal'late this p'tic'lar pup won't bite; I've pulled his teeth, I guess.

Ornithoman′tic; Ornithoph′ilous, bird-fertilised; Or′nithopod, Ornithop′odous, having feet like a bird.

Periphras′tic, -al, containing or expressed by periphrasis or circumlocution.

Plethore′tic, Plethor′ic, -al, afflicted with plethora: superabundant: turgid.

Porismat′ic, -al; Poris′tic, -al, reducing a determinate problem to an indeterminate.

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