Where does “colic” come from?
Colic comes from French colique, from Latin colica, ultimately referring to pain in the colon.
colic (English): Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease...
Definitions
- Severe pains that grip the abdomen or the disease...
Ancestry of “colic”, step by step
colic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French colique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | colique | colic; diarrhoea |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | κωλικός | suffering in the colon |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via Latin colicus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | colicus | — |