Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hiccup” come from?

Hiccup derives from English hickock, a variant of hic, itself a nickname for Hick, a diminutive of Richard, which passed through Middle English Rycharde and Old French Richard from Latin Ricohardus.

hiccup (English): A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound;...

Definitions

  1. A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound;...

Ancestry of “hiccup”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhickockA hiccup
2EnglishHickpet form of Richard
3EnglishRichard—
4Middle EnglishRycharde—
5Old FrenchRichard—
6Medieval LatinRichardus—
7FrankishRīkahard—
8Proto-GermanicRīkaharduzA male given name
9Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
10Proto-Celticrīxsking
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “hiccup”

  • hiccupy
  • hiccuplike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →