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

Sometimes, Yun has a narrative tic of retelling what is already known from the details.

From Washington Post

Nearly all of us have some kind of linguistic tic, some go-to phrase we probably don’t even know we use.

From Freakonomics

Some of them may be … accidental tics that, even if they prove useful for engineering and clinical applications, could be diversions on the road to a full understanding of the brain.

From MIT Technology Review

“Wearing a mask means people can’t see my facial tics, and I love that,” said Pietra Pereira, 19, a student in San Diego.

From Washington Post

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.

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• twitch